


Attrition

by MegaKat



Category: Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: Crack Relationships, F/M, Falling In Love, Genital Torture, Mating Bond, Mental Instability, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-01-09 20:02:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 82,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1150195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaKat/pseuds/MegaKat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rescued by a lonely Sailor Cosmos from 100 years of captivity, Vegeta is not only a silent shell of himself, but little more than a suspicious, distrustful animal... with good reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning for some triggers in this story--it contains mention and brief descriptions of male rape, torture, etc. 
> 
> And if there are any Saiyan words in this story (I'm in the process of simply moving things from ff.net to AO3), please refer to my Saiyan Language Glossary if you need to. Thanks!

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting when his eyes finally cracked open after a week of unconsciousness, but it certainly was not the reaction she got.

                In one moment she went from attempting to smile for the first time in decades… to being pinned to the floor by a snarling, clearly enraged male. And damn if he wasn’t strong! Sure, she wasn’t even close to full strength after such an intense, power draining healing session, but she was still in her Cosmos form! Very little in the entire, vast universe could have so much as scratched her, let alone pinned her to the floor of the cottage she’d brought his broken body to. “Hello,” she managed blandly.

                The sound of her voice seemed to freeze him in place, and he squinted down at her with cold black eyes filled only with fury and pain. Cosmos swallowed when he studied her long and hard, for well over five minutes, his eyes nearly shut against the light. “If your eyes hurt, I can draw the blinds or find you some glasses in my subspace. But you’ll have to let me up for that.”

                The Queen of the Stars sighed when he growled at her and simply kept her pinned on her back, but she stayed quiet and simply waited. _He couldn’t do this forever… could he_? She wondered a little nervously. Maybe he could. If he’d been held captive for as long as she suspected, one thing he would have likely learned in all that time was extreme patience.

                Another fifteen minutes passed while she simply thought and waited; she was beyond patient as well and had all the time in the universe if that was what he needed in order to feel like she wasn’t a threat to him.

Then she found herself yawning and blinking up at him sleepily while she ignored his growling at her for the unconditional reaction to her own exhaustion. Gods… it had been decades since she’d even slept and she suddenly felt every last day of it. “Look,” she mumbled, “I’m tired… exhausted, in fact. You had a lot of damage and I blew a ton of energy healing you. And since you’re awake, the bed isn’t being used. I’m hoping you’ll let me up so I can crawl in under the covers and take the mother of all powernaps. Please?” She added with a weary sigh when he only stared her down. “I’m not going to hurt you. That would be pretty fucking stupid, considering how much I had to go through just to put you back together and rebuild the muscles that had atrophied.”

Something about that last statement seemed to finally get a reaction from him, and she waited as his eyes flickered down for a split second to his rebuilt arms before locking on her face once more. Then slowly, ever so slowly… the grip on her wrists relaxed and his bare thighs slid off of her own. Then he moved so fast that her eyes didn’t even catch it, and he was on the far side of the room, slightly crouched and clearly ready to attack should she try anything he interpreted as a threat to himself. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I’m going to close the blinds for you; with the way you’re squinting, I know the light is bothering you. I don’t want your eyes to get hurt, ok?”

He didn’t move so much as a muscle, but she was too tired to really keep her guard up and simply turned her back on him to close all the blinds on the other side of the room. And when she slowly turned around she found him studying her with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, which were now fully open and no longer half-closed. Well, apparently not many dared turn their back to him, it seemed. That was fine, maybe it would be a step in showing him that she could be trusted, that she meant him no harm. “I’m going to reach into my subspace now, and I’ll do it slowly, alright? It’ll look a little funny since my hand will disappear, but I promise that nothing bad will happen. I’m just going to find you some clothes, and… are you hungry?” She asked slowly. Then she snorted at herself and chuckled softly. “Of course you are. I’m sure you’re damned near starved. I’ll fish around in there and get you something to eat, too. I know I put some food in there about a century ago… I think. Hang on.”

Her patient growled softly when her hand disappeared, and Cosmos could only wonder what his reaction would have been if she hadn’t warned him in advance. Good thing she had; something told her he would have tried to kill her. “Here we go.” She pulled out the food first, a tiny blue capsule, and smiled at him. “I picked this up in another dimension… hm, or maybe it was this one… I think it was a little over a hundred years ago… I’m not sure. Time gets away from me a lot, you know, and I pop in and out of different universes so frequently that I get them confused. But I was intrigued with it, since it actually contains like, this huge banquet of food in such a tiny thing. I took dozens of them, trying to figure out how it was done. Completely ingenious.”

She approached the counter next to the sink slowly and activated the capsule to produce enough food to have fed all of her Senshi, then reached back into her subspace. She dug a lot longer than the first time before pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt. “I think these will fit you,” she said softly, laying the clothes down on the end of the counter. “Now… I’m going to get some sleep, alright? You’re free to go if you choose, but I would feel better about you leaving if you ate something first and got dressed. And you could definitely use some more sleep while you’re still mending. I don’t mind sharing the bed, but I warn you that I have a habit of… well, cuddling. Fair warning.”

Cosmos kept her movements careful and slow as she moved to the bed, yet again turning her back on him to get there, and sighed with relief as she sank into it and pulled the covers up over herself. “I’m going to change forms now… so I can sleep,” she mumbled, already halfway there. “Don’t freak out… I’ll just look a little different.”

His eyes widened a little when her hair shifted from root to tip into molten gold, and the eyes blinking sleepily at him turned from silver to the clearest blue he’d ever seen. That color… he’d seen it before. In two other sets of eyes… he couldn’t remember the faces and when he tried it only hurt his head… hurt somewhere deep in his chest… but he remembered the eyes. Eyes of blue… they’d cared… **_he’d_** cared…

She gasped when he clutched at his head and his eyes shut tightly in pain, and before she could think better of it she was at his side, using her powers to surround him in her silver light to ease the hurt. “Shh, it’s ok,” she whispered gently. “Relax. It’s likely the effect of the light on your eyes. You’ll have headaches like that until you’ve adjusted to something brighter than that pitch darkness.”

He seemed to realize that she was touching him after a few moments, and she pulled back when he snarled at her again. “Sorry, I was just trying to help.”  It was then that his eyes moved to something other than her face, and she blinked when he looked her up and down very slowly. “Oh. Sorry. I’m so used to being by myself that I… well, I’m not used to the idea of modesty anymore. And I always wear my fuku… the last time I’d transformed back from Cosmos was like, a decade ago. I think it was to enjoy a soak in a hot spring. Hang on, just let me…” She closed her eyes in concentration, and when they opened again she was clothed in a thin white nightgown. “There, that’s better. I knew I should have put clothes on after that soak, but I figured why bother?” She yawned again before going back to the bed and crawling in to snuggle up under the covers and into the many pillows. “Don’t freak out if I sleep for a while,” she managed before closing her eyes and drifting off almost immediately.

####################

                The naked warrior remained crouched in the corner for over an hour as he decided whether or not to walk over to the bed and snap the golden woman’s pretty little neck. Would it take some effort? She was obviously very powerful, but something told him that it would crush as easily as the fine bone china that it resembled.

                Slowly… ever so slowly… he finally moved from his spot across the room, ready to leap back to it and blast her to hell if she should suddenly sit up and prove that she was faking sleep, just as he suspected. But she didn’t move, didn’t bat an eyelash—she merely continued to breathe, deep and even, emitting a tiny snore every now and again.

                The warrior considered moving closer to her and nearly did after a moment’s thought, but his deep-seated fear of contact kept him as far from her as he could get. He didn’t even give the food on the counter more than a cursory glance; he knew all about good-looking food and how it was laced with poisons and sleeping draughts… and even worse, aphrodisiacs designed to keep him aroused for hours on end while he endured some of the worst torture he’d ever encountered. Even the beatings and the whippings and the constant blows to the tattered remnants of his pride couldn’t compare to those painful sessions. He’d block out the pain as always, but there had always been a deeper hurt in his soul with every thrust into his body, every groan of pleasure from the purple-skinned enemy behind him.

                Banishing those thoughts with a shake of his head, he moved silently to the door and carefully opened it, only to close it immediately at the first scent of fresh air. What was this!? It had to be a trick, some sort of new, sick form of torture, right!? Heal him. Give him food. Freedom.

And worst of all… give him **_hope_**. Only to take it all away once he felt safe and secure for the first time in… he didn’t even recall how long. Years. Decades.

He hit his knees in front of the door and trembled at the thought; they’d made him kneel after a full decade—at least he was fairly sure it had been that long—and it had broken him. That’s what this was. They’d do it again, surely. Give him some small slice of heaven, only to take it and break him again. He glanced to the angelic woman just on the edge of his vision and wondered for a brief moment if he was dead. Gods, now _that_ would be ideal!

He shook off a flicker of that damned feeling— _hope_ —as he actually pinched himself and felt it. Nope. Still alive. Hell, he knew he was alive just from the protesting ache in the muscles that were still weakened from his time chained to that dank ceiling. He glanced over to the woman again and studied her with a hint of fear and awe mixed in with his heavy distrust. If she’d truly healed him and brought him back to his current state in such a short time, surely she could crush him and throw him into the wind.

That thought made him clutch his aching forehead and wince; he’d said those words before… somewhere. Home, maybe? Wherever that was. He gasped at the searing pain in his temples as he caught a flash of blue eyes in his memory, a backdrop of a large building behind the person—it was a male… a relation… his son?—he was talking to. Home. **_That was home_**.

He cracked open the door slowly once more and looked out at trees and fields. No other buildings in sight, just wildlife and the scent of very clean air. Water in the distance… not too far, though. And it was a little chilly out there, but not unlivable. He immediately discarded the idea of running out into the unknown to fend for himself. The idea was more than tempting, but he had no clue what awaited him out there. Maybe that’s what the woman in the bed was waiting for. She’d said he was free to leave… maybe this was a test by his captors to see if they’d truly broken him or not. To see if he’d run given the chance.

And the moment he ran, they would swoop down and capture him once more, throw him back in the dungeon or if he was extremely lucky… the fighting pits. At least in the pits, the food was more likely than not to be free of poisons or worse things.

But that food and fairly decent sleeping quarters—“fairly decent” meaning a floor free of his own piss and shit, maybe a rough scrap of blanket thrown in if he behaved—came at a high price; his collar keeping every skill he’d developed in check while he beat his opponent—or got beat—with only fists, muscle and temper. He vaguely recalled the incident that had put him back in the cell with the chains; he’d shattered the collar around his neck with nothing more than his own power in the first display of resistance he’d risked in decades. He’d fried hundreds of those bastards within moments in one of the best Final Flashes he’d ever created… and if the purple-skinned bastard hadn’t stopped him, it would have become a Final Explosion in less than a minute.

He’d been stopped though, and thrown back into that cell, and beaten to within an inch of his life by the purple alien while his scientists had devised a new collar that could contain what they’d called “a very unexpected spike in the prisoner’s power level.”

Gods, it had been totally worth it, though. Even when the beatings turned into a week-long rape that left him hanging there, broken and bleeding, he could still feel a twinge of satisfaction at the memory of all that power at his very fingertips, surrounding him in a golden glow.

His eyes widened at that and he groped at his neck as it fully dawned on him that his collar was **_gone_**. He immediately looked down at his hands to see the tiny ki ball that he risked, just to prove to himself that it wasn’t some sort of fucked up dream. It was real… it was small and gold and put off a faint light, and he knew if he threw it, the deceptively tiny ball would take out the adjacent wall with ease. He absorbed it quickly and looked back to the woman to make sure she wasn’t watching him. Nope, still sleeping. Good, maybe he’d play with his ki a little more in the meantime; he simply couldn’t help but feel that flutter of emotion— ** _hope_** —at the very thought of controlling his own energy once more. 


	2. Chapter 2

_Floating._

_Thinking._

_Reflecting._

_Existing._

_That was all she really did those days between popping in and out of dimensions. Maybe she’d take a break once every ten years or so and pop up on a planet—rather than in the vacuum of space—to relax and enjoy herself for a few days, but that was it. Hot springs were her favorite way to relax, along with lying in the sunshine naked and letting the warmth seep into her skin._

_Anything that was warm, since space was always so cold._

_“I need a fight,” she sighed for the millionth time in fifty years. “Something. Gods know, I’m getting bored.”_

_And despite her loneliness and the fact that she drifted for years at a time, doing little else, boredom was an extreme rarity for her._

_With a wave of her hand she popped into another dimension, then another… and another… and another… something that she did on occasion to pass the time, to see if she’d randomly pop up somewhere that she was needed… for once._

_“Amazing how no one needs me ever since I sealed Chaos,” she sighed. She’d thought it countless times, but she’d never spoken it aloud. It sounded even sadder in her ears than it did in her mind. “And this is the thanks I get for it,” she added morosely. “Seventeen… no. Eighteen-hundred years of purgatory. Fucking horseshit.”_

_Cosmos felt the silver crystal within her resonating with her own heartbeat, glowing from within as if it were trying to comfort her. Maybe it was; that thing had always had a mind of its own, and even after all of her time as a solitary Cosmos, she still didn’t quite fully understand it. “Why don’t you take me somewhere where I’m needed?” She asked it softly, placing a porcelain hand over the glowing light emanating from her breastbone. “I’m lonely,” she finally admitted aloud. It wasn’t the first time she’d said it, but it was the first time in a very long time. “Surely… someone must still need my help, right?”_

_Looking down, she noticed just how strong the light was growing, and smiled at the sight of it. “Yes, that’s a wish, if that’s what you were waiting to hear. Albeit a selfish one, I suppose.”_

_Do not mind._

_“Really.” She blinked and then giggled; the crystal hadn’t actually spoken to her in centuries. “Well, then by all means. Get on it and take me somewhere exciting. I’m exhausted with being bored all the time. And I’d like some company for once, too.”_

_Done._

_Cosmos felt herself pop into a new dimension and blinked as she looked around. It was pretty much the same as the last one—stars, empty vacuum of space, a couple planets off in the distance… “That’s different,” she whispered nonchalantly, studying the massive ship a few million miles off. “Damn thing’s as big as Jupiter,” she remarked after a moment. “Maybe they need my help?”_

_Her silver eyes went wide for a long moment, then narrowed and flashed in anger the very second she opened herself up to the souls around her._

_Pain._

_Anguish._

_Loneliness._

_Despair._

**_Rage._ **

_A span of five seconds had passed as she fully locked in on the soul that was resonating those strong, heart-breaking emotions, and Cosmos wiped at her tears before teleporting to it—or trying to, at least. She only wound up appearing a few hundred feet from the massive ship and another attempt at teleportation met with the same results._

_A voice from behind her turned her around, but the warrior attached to it was speaking in a language she didn’t understand. “Sorry, try a different one, maybe?” Cosmos waited patiently as he fiddled with some sort of device over his left eye, speaking in different languages on occasion; he was obviously trying to find the right one._

_Finally, she heard a word she understood. “Testing…”_

_“Yup, you got it that time.” Not one to beat around the bush, she momentarily blocked out the pain of the soul she’d been focusing on, and pointed at the ship. “Why can’t I teleport? I’ve never had a problem with that before.”_

_“The ship blocks all attempts at Instant Transmission from the outside of it. Why were you attempting to teleport into the flagship of the great Artic?”_

_Cosmos simply shrugged; she had no clue who in the hell he was talking about, but it was clearly someone important. The size of the ship alone spoke of being owned by someone of great stature… or someone who was clearly trying to compensate for something. “I felt pain. I heal pain. So I was trying to teleport in to help them.” She pointed in the direction she’d been aiming. “Right about… there.”_

_The warrior scowled and shook his head. “He’s likely a prisoner, woman. Shove off before you get yourself captured and in the same predicament as him.”_

_Cosmos merely snorted and rolled her eyes at that before wincing at the empathic wave of fresh pain from the man she was focused on. He was… being tortured… what the fuck? Who the fuck were these people that they would torture someone to such an insane level of agony!? “I’m going in one way or another, so I suggest you escort me inside or fuck off. Your choice,” she replied nonchalantly, already surveying the ship for a physical entrance._

_“Let her in,” a feminine, nasal voice ordered from a loudspeaker hidden somewhere in the hull of the spacecraft. “I’m on space deck seven, west quadrant. Escort her there.”_

_“Yes, Master Arctic,” the soldier grunted in reply, followed by a brief bow of his head. “Follow me,” he added in Cosmos’s direction. He floated over to a nearly invisible hatch nearby and closed it behind him once their unexpected guest was aboard. “You should have gone while you had the chance, lady,” he muttered out the side of his mouth. “Gods know what the less civilized of the crew will do to you once Arctic’s through with you. He usually breaks the female captives then throws them to the crew.”_

_The silver-haired Senshi of the Stars blinked and frowned at this. “Then I suggest you vacate the area,” she whispered in reply. “Since you were kind enough to warn me, I’ll spare your life. Your name?”_

_“Turles,” he huffed, not bothering to hide his disbelief. Either this woman was simply deluded… or insane. No one took on Arctic and hoped to live. No one. Even a space pirate of Turles’s power level tiptoed around Frieza’s little brother like he had the plague and it was catching. “You?”_

_“Cosmos. Queen of the Stars and guardian of the universe.”_

_The warrior chuckled at that and shook his head. “Sure, woman. Whatever you say… I think you’ve been reading a few too many bedtime stories. Come on,” he ordered, waving for her to follow him down the metal-lined corridor. “We’ll get further in a little, and then we can IT to where we need to go.”_

_“So… do you also partake in Arctic’s cast-off prisoners?” She asked icily._

_“Nah. Not my style. Besides, my race doesn’t work that way. We see who we want and then mate for life. And even if we didn’t…” Turles shrugged and threw her a wink and a smirk. “…it still wouldn’t be my style. I’m not on the crew anyway; I’m what you’d call a temp.”_

_“Oh?” Cosmos asked curiously, noting in the back of her mind the escape route she’d have to take to get out of the ship._

_“I’m a merc and a pirate. I just work for Arctic on and off when I’m really broke. One of his cooks also makes the strongest homebrew in the Eastern Quadrant,” he chuckled. “Pretty hard to turn that down.”_

_“A pirate who loves liquor,” she giggled. “Not surprised.” She studied everything with curious silver eyes when they stopped. “Where to now?”_

_“Focus on the biggest ki on the ship and teleport us over there.”_

_“Ki?” She blinked and shrugged. “Huh… I don’t read ki, sorry. I read emotions, more or less. Just think of me as an extremely strong empath.”_

_“Oh. Then focus on the nastiest, evilest, baddest motherfucker on the ship,” Turles suggested with a shrug._

_“Baddest? Hm… no. That… that would be the one I was searching for. But the most evil…?” Cosmos turned one hundred and eighty degrees and pointed, eyes closed as she focused on the soul she’d locked on. “Howabout that one?”_

_“And that would be him,” Turles confirmed._

_“And I can teleport from right here?”_

_“Yeah, I just said you could. Why?”_

_Cosmos just smiled at him as he placed a hand on her arm so he could travel with her, and she refocused on the soul that needed her. “No reason.”_

_The space pirate let out a groan when they were suddenly standing deep in the very back of the ship, facing a male captive that Turles had seen before. “Fuuuuck,” he sighed. “I’m out, lady. Good luck.”_

_“Sorry if I get you in trouble,” she replied absently, focused only on the man strung up in chains. Fresh blood ran down his thighs, dripping onto the stone beneath him, and she circled him slowly to see that the newest damage had come from whip marks on his back and buttocks. Creating a small ball of light in the air, she also spotted some fluid leaking down his scarred inner thighs, and tears leapt to her eyes at the sight. “You poor thing,” she breathed in horror. “Either get out of here or help me get him down,” Cosmos ordered the pirate still behind her._

_“They’ll only beat and fuck him harder when they catch you,” he informed her. “Best to leave well enough alone and go straight to Arctic, woman. He’s getting pissed over being kept waiting.”_

_“Fine, whatever.” Twin Sword suddenly in hand, Cosmos merely floated up and struck the chains around his arms, then his legs, and caught him before he hit the floor, gently hushing his groan as she ran her gloved fingers through his filthy upswept hair. But when she found herself unable to teleport out she glared at the warrior at the door. “Can’t get out. Why?”_

_“There were sensors on those chains,” he sighed. “Now that he’s free, everything’s going to be on fucking lockdown. **Great job** ,” he growled. “Come on,” he snapped, waving her towards another door. “My head’s on a pike for letting you free him anyway, so I might as well show you out and have you teleport me somewhere sunny.”_

_“Deal. Lead the way, Turles.”_

#######################

It was dark when she woke, and she yawned and stretched for a good long while before blinking up at the ceiling in the pitch. It was so dark she couldn’t see a damned thing, but that was alright. It was probably best for her patient’s eyes, anyway. “You still here?” She whispered.

No surprise, she didn’t hear so much as a movement in the room. “Can you talk? Or do you just _not_ talk?” Still no response. “I just want to make sure I’m not going to wind up pinned to the floor again,” she chuckled, “so if you’re still in here, tap on the wall or the floor or something. Just make a noise so that I—“ The sound of a shuffling foot cut her off and she nodded. “Thank you. I… sort of can’t see, and I’m hungry for the first time in a very long time, so I’m going to make a little light with my power.”

She sat up then, swung her legs off the edge of the bed, and created an extremely dim, soft light in her hands, just barely enough so that she could see a few feet in front of her. She sighed when she found the tray completely untouched, but wasn’t really surprised after a minute of mulling over the ‘why’ of finding it still full. “You don’t trust the food. Well… if I eat it, too, then it’ll show that it won’t hurt you, right?”

Picking up the tray, she shuffled slowly over to where she’d heard him make that single obliging sound, and found him waiting in a defensive crouch.

Still naked.

“Heh… while you’re awfully nice to look at in your birthday suit… _awfully_ nice,” she added with a giggle, “those clothes aren’t going to hurt you. Do they fit? Or did you even touch them?” She knelt in front of him and set the tray down when he didn’t so much as bat an eyelash her way, and sat down cross-legged on the other side of it. “Here. Eat.” She took a bite of a chicken leg before offering it. “My name’s Usagi, by the way,” she said with her mouth full. “At least while I’m in this form. Come on, take it, I took a bite first, so it’s obviously not going to hurt you.”

Usagi huffed impatiently when he still wouldn’t even move, and finally sat the leg down on a napkin. “There. Seriously, honey. I’m not going to hurt you. If I was going to do that, I would have during the seven days you were out cold.” She sighed when he only continued to stare at her with barely banked rage and suspicion. “Fine… maybe not chicken? Is there anything on the tray that you _would_ like to eat?” Still no response. “Ok… let’s start light, then. Your stomach has probably shrunk, so you’ll want to eat slowly whenever you do eat, and stop the moment you’re not hungry anymore. Or, well… right after you’re not hungry anymore. A bite or two over shouldn’t hurt you. But not much more than that or you’ll make yourself sick. Thirsty?” She asked absently after taking a sip from a bowl of soup and a bite from a piece of bread and setting them before him. She then reached for a bowl of fruit, took little nibbles from eat piece, then poured him a glass of juice and drank from that as well. “There. Eat.”

Usagi huffed and rolled her eyes when he only continued to glare down at her, but after a moment she simply shrugged and fixed herself a plate and dug in. “It’s really good,” she said with her mouth full, slurring her s’s and d’s. “You’re missing out, big guy… I can seriously throw down on some chow when I’m this hungry, you know. Wait much longer and I just might eat yours, too.”

She smiled when one of his hands reached out slowly—ever so slowly—and he grasped the piece of bread she’d set in front of him. He didn’t take his eyes from her the entire time, and when she didn’t do anything other than smile at him and continue to eat, he brought the roll to his lips and took a small, tentative bite.

That got the ball rolling, and her patient no longer hesitated to eat, moving on to the soup once he was done with the bread, taking small sips of juice in between, and bites of more bread as she offered them—pre-bitten by herself, of course. “Do you feel hungry still?” She asked carefully after a little while. “I just don’t want you to get sick is all, for your body to reject the food. I’m pretty sure you weren’t well fed on that ship.”

He growled a little but stopped; she was right, and the last thing he wanted was to throw it all up after he’d gotten the chance to eat his fill for the first time in a century. Gods, but it had tasted so damned good! Real food! _Clean_ food with nothing bad in it!

“Ugh… fine. Here,” Usagi giggled, picking up a fork to take a small bite from a slice of chocolate cake. “Slowly, though, ok?” She was pleased when he grunted and nodded, taking his eyes from her face for the first time since she’d brought the tray over, and he stared at the cake like he was questioning its existence. The Queen of the Stars scoffed a little when he ignored the fork and delicately picked up the slice to take a decent-sized bite, and when he seemed to choke a little, she nearly jumped up to help him. But she realized that he was earnestly trying not to cry, and sighed a little in sympathy. “Sorry, big guy… I’d probably be the same after all that, especially at the first taste of chocolate. I love chocolate,” she added before taking a bite of a second slice of cake on the tray. “Mmm… dear gods, that’s good cake.”

He only ate less than half the slice and set it down mournfully when he knew he couldn’t eat the rest and hope to keep it down. Later. With his metabolism, he could eat the rest in a couple of hours. The woman’s voice startled him as she moved, though, and all thoughts of chocolate cake disappeared when it was clear she was about to move towards him.

Usagi stopped the moment he growled and held her hands up in a peaceful gesture. “It’s alright, big guy. I just wanted to check your wounds and the progress on your muscles. I didn’t finish the healing because what I had to do to you drained the hell out of me. Not to mention the breakout and the destruction of quite a few guards. I could have used less power to kill them all, but I was trying for speed, not finesse. Anyways… sorry, I have a tendency to ramble,” she added with a snicker, “I just want to look, ok? I’ll warn you if I need to touch.”

He held still when she kept her movements slow, and tried not to squint as the light hovering beside her brightened a little to allow her to see better. “Can you stand up for me, big guy?” She asked gently. He complied, every muscle in his body rigid as he prepared to either run or kill her—he wasn’t sure which—but true to her word, she only looked.

“Ok, sweetheart. Your back. It’s definitely still in need of healing. Does it feel tight at all?” Usagi nodded when he grunted once, and held her hand out slowly, still not quite touching. “This won’t hurt, alright? It’ll feel warm, but it won’t hurt, so just trust me and hold still.” She felt him tense under the lightest of touches, and she gently stroked the fingers of both her hands down the length of his spine as she hunted down the damage beneath the skin and used a little of her powers to loosen them up and heal them. “Just stay still,” she soothed, “there’s still a good bit of damage and this will take me a few minutes. Hm… your legs, too,” she sighed. “And your arms, but those are nearly healed all the way.”

Usagi pulled away when she reached his backside and he jumped. “It’s alright, honey. I’m just healing you. There’s a lot of scar tissue…” She trailed off and sighed in embarrassment for him. “And I have to ask… I know that they… but I didn’t… I didn’t check since it was such a… um… sensitive issue. But do you need to be healed… you know. On the inside?” When his jaw visibly clenched and he didn’t reply, she merely nodded a little. “I’ll take care of it. I’m sorry, honey,” she added in a whisper. “Just a touch, ok?” Usagi informed him before she laid her hands on his backside and began to heal him. The damage and internal scarring made tears well up in her eyes, and when she finished she came around to his front and surveyed his arms.

He didn’t miss how she was discreetly wiping at her eyes as she came back into view, and was surprised that she actually cared that much. That form of torture was something he didn’t even want to think about, and he appreciated the fact that she had worded her questions so delicately. The warrior willingly held his arms out just a little when she asked him to do so, her voice thick with tears, and he tried not to flinch or growl too much at her touch as he was filled with more of that soothing warm light and he felt the ache in his arms fade.

“I’ll get the legs tomorrow,” she said gently. “That’s enough for today… I need more sleep and more food if I’m not going to ascend to Cosmos… and I’ve gotten the impression that you’re more comfortable with me in this form, so I’ll just stay as is. Well, unless there’s an emergency, but I doubt that will happen. This is an uncharted planet that I created myself the day I rescued you, solely for your recovery, so I don’t think we’ll have any unexpected visitors. And if we do,” she mused, “they’ll be in for one hell of an ass-kicking fiesta. No one’s going to fuck with you, big guy. At least not while **_I’m_** around,” she added with a savage little grin. “Shower?” She asked, flowing naturally to the next topic as she usually did without even skipping a beat.

Usagi pointed to the bathroom when he grunted, and when they entered it, she stopped and stared at the toilet, and realized that the seat had been **_down_** when she’d woken up and last used it. “Big guy…? Don’t you need to pee like the rest of the living universe?” Then she stopped and narrowed her eyes at him before he could even grunt. “Don’t you dare tell me that you simply opened the door and pissed on my doorstep.” The barest flicker of amusement in his eyes told her all she needed to know, and Usagi sputtered for a moment before pointing at the commode. “It’s there for a reason, big guy. Use it when you have to. And I swear by the gods that if I find _shit_ on my doorstep, I’m going to beat your ass.”

He merely whuffed at that, as if challenging her, and she rolled her eyes again at him in response. “Pee goes in the toilet, mister. Now… that knob’s hot, that one’s cold. Oh, and here. A towel.” She reached into her subspace and pulled one out for him, setting it on the counter, followed by soap and some shampoo. “You got this ok? Or do you need help?” She asked delicately, her annoyed tone immediately gone. “I bathed you and took care of your functions while you were out, so there’s no shame if you need assistance, big guy.”

He merely waved towards the door in a clear dismissal, and Usagi cleared out and began to clean up the leftovers and pack them into a fridge she’d spelled with her powers from the planet of Mercury. There was no power in the little house, but with the abilities of all of her Senshi, there were lots of ways around plumbing and electrical needs.

She was cleaning up what little mess they’d made when she heard the door open and a dry, naked, clean man walked out. “A hot shower and a good meal. I bet it was better than sex,” she chuckled, followed by a slap to her forehead when he flinched at her very last word. “I meant the kind you would actually enjoy,” Usagi sighed apologetically. “Sorry, big guy. I talk too much.”

The big guy grunted his definite agreement with that statement, squinting his eyes at the ball of light next to her. After so long in darkness, he knew it would be weeks before he’d be able to take the full daylight without any pain, which had ultimately decided him. He’d stay with this woman until he was fully healed; so long as she didn’t get too close except to heal his wounds, he could tolerate her presence. He owed her, anyway… unless she was really working for Arctic just to put him back together before the little freak broke him again.

That brought him to another predicament. How in the hell to prove that she wasn’t really an enemy in disguise? He’d thought it over all day and in the shower, and he’d decided that he didn’t want to kill her anymore—not if she’d truly freed him from that Hell—but he didn’t want to be constantly watching his back, either.

Usagi looked up and blinked when he grunted once more and pointed at the door, then up. “Wow, really? Sure, big guy, go right ahead!” She offered cheerfully, striding over to the door and opening it. “Where will you go?” When he shook his head and motioned for her to close the door, she did so slowly and just watched him in understanding. “You thought I was going to cage you.” It wasn’t a question. “It was a test.”

She sighed and shook her head when he gave her a wary, hesitant nod; he clearly expected her to be angry with him at the very least. “I’m not mad, big guy… and I can’t blame you. I… I’m honestly surprised now that I think about it. I should have put barriers up around myself while I slept or something. As bad as you’ve been tortured, you could have killed me and I wouldn’t have blamed you there, either. Easy to be suspicious of everything when you’ve been treated so cruelly.

“I meant what I said,” she continued thoughtfully. “I’ll worry if you leave without saying goodbye, but you’re not a captive here, big guy. You may come and go as you please. You’re really and truly free. Though… I’d like to finish healing all those previously atrophied muscles before you go. Your choice, though, ok?” Usagi gestured towards the bed then; he was merely watching her with a hint of disbelief in his eyes, and she knew that only time would heal his inability to trust. “Tired? By my reckoning it’s only midnight, so feel free to get some rest if you’d like. I won’t disturb you. What?” She asked, when he shook his head and pointed towards the floor near the dead fireplace. “I don’t mind taking turns with the bed, big guy. Or even sharing it if you’re comfortable with that. It’s a big bed, we probably wouldn’t even notice each other in it.”

Again, another shake of the head, this time more pronounced. Another grunt and a finger pointed at the floor. She watched as he then walked to the spot, sat down cross-legged—while she politely tried to ignore the way his finer assets were fully exposed in such a position—and gestured around himself in a wide circle before pointing at himself and growling. “Ok,” she snorted with amusement, “your territory. Got it. Won’t you get cold, though?”

He merely shrugged at that and laid down on the hardwood floor, sprawling out on his back.

“Oh, seriously?” Usagi groaned. “No way, big guy. I am not letting a patient of mine sleep on a hard fucking floor in the nude. Get the fuck up and move for a moment.” When he growled at her the moment she stepped inside of his little invisible circle, she stomped closer, hands on her hips in a posture that dared him to snarl again. “I’ll get out of your territory when you move for a second. I’ll make you your own bed, right here.”

She shifted to Cosmos after he stepped to the side, only to find herself pinned to the floor in a repeat episode of the day before. “Seriously?” She sighed up at the enraged warrior on top of her. “I’m just going to make something out of thin air, and I _have_ to be Cosmos for that! I don’t… I’m not…” Hell no, he didn’t need to know how weak she was as Usagi. She didn’t think he’d kill her, but still… “I can’t do that sort of stuff in my other form.”

When he snarled viciously at her and pulled back a fist to strike, she squeaked, flinched, and immediately shifted back to her mortal form. “Ok, **_OK_**! Damn it, I’m NOT GOING TO HURT YOU!” She yelled up at him, her eyes filling with tears.

The elbow at her throat drew back slowly, and she climbed to her feet, backing away from him angrily as she wiped at her eyes. “Asshole. Fine, you don’t want me as Cosmos? Here. Subspace,” she warned him before reaching into it. Usagi then pulled out a pile of blankets and a couple of pillows before tossing them at his feet with a huff. “There. Make your _own_ damned bed, and I’ll stay out of your precious little invisible circle.”

The warrior grunted and nodded seriously as he spread out a comforter and laid down on it; that was just _fine_ by him. His chest vibrated in a soft growl at himself as he looked back up to see those blue eyes still filled with tears, her hand occasionally wiping at them as she pulled a book out of nowhere and sat down on the couch to read by the light of the little orb floating beside her.

“What?” She asked crankily, when she heard him approach her cautiously. “Go to sleep, I won’t bother you. I’m so drained that I’ll likely take a nap, too.” When she finally looked up, Usagi found him patiently watching her, and he grunted and tipped his head a little at her in what could only be an apology. “I know you’re scared,” she sighed mournfully, “but I’m not going to hurt you, big guy. I swear it.”

He grunted again before turning back to the little nest he’d made out of the blankets. _We’ll see._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More flashbacks, and Vegeta plays with his ki for the first time in a century.

_“Well, you’re not going to need these anymore, my darling prince. How about I remove you of those troublesome little things?”_

_He merely kept his mouth shut; he’d learned in a few long weeks that speech was only met with more pain, but he glared down from his chains at the little freakish alien that so resembled his archenemy from decades ago._

_“Give me an answer, Vegeta, or I’m definitely going to cut them off,” the little purple man purred, brandishing a knife that was likely as dull as it looked. That bastard **would** use a dull knife, and he’d enjoy every scream he coaxed from his victim, too. _

_“Jealous?” He replied hoarsely. He knew that wasn’t the reply Arctic wanted; the little bastard wanted him to beg and plead for him to let him keep his manhood… only so he could castrate him anyway. Vegeta wasn’t playing that game; if he was going to do it, let him do right here and now and get it out of the way. Then there’d only be so much that the little fucker could put him through before he finally killed him. A lack of balls made him no less of a man, damn it._

_“Jealous? Whatever in the universe for, Vegeta?” He licked his lips as he played his thumb along the edge of the blade, eyeing the prince’s balls as he did so._

_“You call mine little, but they’re clearly far bigger than yours, Arctic.” This statement was ended with a smirk as Vegeta watched Arctic’s eyes flicker with anger in a way very similar to how Frieza’s had long ago. “Can’t blame you for a little cock envy, freak. Very few can match the size and prowess of a Saiyan prince.”_

_“Well, then. I’m sure you won’t mind if I remove them so I can properly measure them against my own,” he snarled as he pulled the chain to lower his prisoner’s groin to his own eye level. “I think I’ll let you keep your cock, though. Not only would you make too much of a mess when you pissed… but I find it awfully nice to look at,” Arctic cooed._

_“And that’s all you’ll do with it,” he retorted. “Look. Unless, of course, you’d like for me to skullfuck you in your sleep.” Vegeta had more to say, but forgot how to breathe when he felt the cold steel caress his testicles, his hands clenching at the chains holding him suspended in the air, his power level futilely trying to fluctuate and rise past the settings on the collar around his neck. How he managed to scream with hardly any air in his lungs was beyond him, but one erupted from his throat at the first slow cut._

_And it wasn’t to be the last scream that Arctic would draw out of him on that day, either._

                He woke up weeping on the floor of his cell, his throat closing at the feel of a low moan starting; if he was heard, he’d be strung up in chains once more and beaten to within an inch of his life. The damned dreams of that day never stopped; it had been a turning point in his captivity. Only a mere twelve weeks in and Arctic had nearly broken him. The first real breaking had come a few months later, and the one that had made him who he was had come after a long decade of fighting to retain what little pride he had left to him. That hadn’t been just a breaking, that had been a shattering destruction of everything that had made him the proud Saiyan prince he’d once been.

                He’d knelt that day. Knelt at Arctic’s feet… and done… he shook his head at the thought and wiped away fresh tears at the memory; he’d been a “good boy” that day and had suffered no punishment as a result. They’d given him to the mercy of the fighting pits the next day, a “reward” for being such a pleasant little pet, as Arctic had said.

                He’d cried then, too, as he recalled. It hadn’t been the first or the last time, but other than the day he’d been castrated, it was the only time the tears hadn’t been silent. No… he hadn’t been quiet that day. He’d sobbed like a mewling brat. And after it all, covered in sweat and Artic’s stinking bodily fluids, he’d scrubbed himself raw with the pitiful excuse for a water ration he’d been left before curling up in a corner and wishing—begging— for death.

                Vegeta rose from the floor and only then realized that he wasn’t in his cell… he was on the floor, yes, but he was warm, and comfortable, and surrounded by soft comforters. There was even a couple of pillows under his head; a luxury he hadn’t seen in a century. As he sat up and the nightmare refused to leave him, it dawned on him that he—

                The prince quickly shucked off the covers to look between his legs and sobbed afresh at the sight of himself. He was whole again. The first day he’d been so on edge, and even in the shower he’d been in such a stupor under the forgotten luxury of hot water that he hadn’t fully realized that he was a man again.

                Vegeta looked over to find his savior passed out on the couch, her book lying on the floor below her dangling hand where she must have dropped it. Who in the hell was she!? His balls hadn’t been injured, they’d been **_gone_**. And she had **_regrown_** them. Surely she was far more powerful than she was letting on. What had she said the day before? Something about creating the planet they were on so he could heal quietly. She’d _created_ a planet… and apparently it hadn’t taxed her so much that she couldn’t heal him afterwards.

                He stood and slowly surveyed himself, taking stock of his previous injuries, now that he’d rested well enough to think straight. His legs and arms had been atrophied to the point of contractures, his muscle mass depleted to nearly nothing. He’d had broken bones the last he remembered, and countless open wounds.

                Vegeta found himself staring at the woman on the couch once more; he was healed. Every single open wound, every broken bone. Sure, he was still littered in scars from head to toe, but those were the mark of a Saiyan warrior… his jaw fell open at that thought. He knew who he was. That horrible, terrifying dream had revealed that to him.

                Vegeta, crown prince of the Saiyan race.

                He didn’t remember anything else about himself, but that was sure as hell a start.

                Unable to help himself, he called up his power, just a touch of it—even though he could feel much, much more at his disposal—and decided after a moment to go outside in the dark to play with his ki. He didn’t want to wind up destroying the house if he fully powered up.

                He stopped on his way out though, and turned to look at his savior for a long moment before striding over to her bed and removing a throw blanket. Vegeta silently covered her with it, noting the immediate little smile playing on her lips. It was so sweet that he momentarily forgot his suspicion of her, bent down, and picked up her book to mark her place for her before setting it on the coffee table and sneaking out the front door.

#####################

                _Turles turned and gaped at the sight of the silver woman he was leading; she had stopped in the hallway and was looking curiously at a door he had passed several seconds ago. “There’s no time!” He growled at her. “Come on!”_

_“There’s always time,” she replied calmly, hefting the Twin Sword to shatter the lock on the door before using a wash of power to throw it open. “You’re all free,” she told the slaves huddled inside as she put away the sword and blasted all of the chains in the room._

_“Fuck,” Turles sputtered from behind her. “You’re going to get us both killed, woman.”_

_“In for a penny, in for a pound, right Turles? Might as well not do this half-assed. Besides, it seems wrong to free just one man and leave the others to rot,” she added softly._

_“Not only are you taking me somewhere sunny, you’re throwing a few bottles of booze into the deal,” he grumbled before looking up at the slaves, who were all staring at the two of them in fearful disbelief. “It’s as she says. Get the fuck out of here, head for bay nineteen to the north and take the dropships._

_“Oh, shit,” she gasped, shoving Turles out of the way the moment a set of guards appeared behind him. “WORLD SHAKING!”_

_A dozen guards fell dead on impact, and she turned to shove Turles away once more as another set came around the other corner. “Shabon Spray Freezing!” With those down, she turned around once more to find a few dozen more guards waiting. “No,” she snapped at Turles, “I’ve got these. Hold him for a moment and stay out of the line of fire,” she ordered._

_“Yes ma’am,” he said without argument. Anyone that could take out dozens of Arctic’s guards without breaking a sweat was **not** someone he was going to argue with. _

_Her arms now free, she formed a ball of lightning between her hands and sent it flying. “WIDE PRESSURE!” Some of the guards had had the sense to shield, and she followed up with another attack immediately. “METEOR SHOWER!”_

_Cosmos turned back to Turles and gave him a peace sign before taking the body of her patient back in her arms. “All done. Ready?”_

_“Whatever you say, lady,” Turles sputtered, still in shock over such a display of raw power._

_Cosmos checked in the cell before moving on and stopped the men coming for the door, pointing behind them. “You’ll help the wounded, women and children, won’t you?” She asked sweetly. “A small price to pay for your freedom, isn’t it?”_

_“She’s the Queen of the Stars,” Turles informed them. “I’d listen to her if I were you.”_

_Cosmos shot him a grin at that and waved him on once the male slaves started scooping up those that couldn’t escape. “So, you believe me now?”_

_“Only Cosmos would be so fucking **nice** to a bunch of cage-fighting heathens,” he snorted, grabbing her by the arm to jerk her down another corridor. “Not only that, but only Cosmos could flatten a hundred guards in less than thirty seconds. In for a penny, woman,” he added, pointing at a door. He blasted a few open as well as she opened the one he’d pointed at, and they relayed the same instructions to those slaves that they had given to the first group. “May as well free them all.”_

_The third hall they reached contained slaves with ki-dampening collars, and Turles went about removing them while Cosmos instructed them to protect the people escaping._

_“I’ll take care of it,” one slave promised her with a low growl. “Just promise to take care of our prince,” he added with a glance to Turles._

_“Prince?” Cosmos asked curiously. “Huh, I would have never guessed a rum-drinking space pirate would—“_

_“Not me,” Turles grunted, pointing to the frail body over her shoulder. “Him. I wasn’t raised on our home planet, so I wouldn’t know him well. But Broly here—“ He pointed at the newly freed slave. “—grew up with him. His father was one of the king’s closest advisors.”_

_“Go on,” Broly ordered casually with a wave of his hand. “Take him somewhere safe where he can heal. I’ll take care of freeing the rest of the prisoners.”_

_“But Broly, what if—“_

_“Arctic can’t hope to match my strength without the collar,” he assured Cosmos with a savage grin. “Saiyans get stronger every time they’ve been beaten to the point of near death… and I’ve been to that point quite a few times. Not as much as him, though,” he added seriously with a point to the prince. “So watch your ass if you piss him off. He’s likely stronger than us all combined, woman.”_

_“Good to know. I’ll come find you all when he’s healed,” she said quickly as Turles drug her down another hallway towards the north._

_“No need for a dropship, Turles, just get us to any exit and I’ll shield him from the space radiation and teleport us somewhere safe.”_

_“Oh. You just need an exit?” The pirate asked with a grin._

_Cosmos blinked and returned the grin when he simply pointed a hand at the hull, and she shielded her cargo just before he blew a hole in it and they were sucked out into the vacuum of space. She resealed it with her own power, but when she teleported them a million miles away, she giggled at the sight in front of her. Apparently a few of Broly’s friends had had the same idea, had blown holes in the ship, and were escorting dropships that were already departing from the main cruiser. “I hope they took out the weapons system,” she mused aloud._

_“Broly would have made that the first priority before allowing anyone to escape,” Turles said with a shrug. “Now… take me somewhere with a beach, liquor, and hot babes.”_

_Turles grinned broadly when they were immediately teleported to a planet with a gorgeous blue ocean and fine-grained black sand. The warmth made him close his eyes and genuinely smile; it had been a long time since he’d been anywhere this sunny. “Ah, perfect. I don’t see any babes, though,” he chuckled._

_“Babes are down that way,” Cosmos chuckled. “I teleported here so no one would see me. This other Saiyan I once knew would be so jealous of you right now,” she added with a little giggle. “Raditz had said once—what?” She asked at the jaw-dropped expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”_

_“You’ve met my brother?”_

_“Ha! I knew you looked a little alike in the face! Funny, though… Raditz was way more of a horndog than you, Turles.”_

_He knew that look in a woman’s eyes, and he groaned despite the fact that he wasn’t surprised. “Only my brother would wind up getting laid by the Queen of the Stars,” he sighed. “Raditz, you’re such a space whore.”_

_“Hey, it was one wild-ass week, what can I say?” She giggled._

_“A week!? You’re telling me that my brother stayed with you a whole week!?” Her shrug had him gaping again. “Dear gods, woman. He must have really had a thing for you. Raddy never stays more than two nights with any woman. Usually it’s only one. How is he, anyway? I haven’t seen him in about seven decades.”_

_“Good. Getting in trouble, probably. And he stayed with me for two weeks, actually.” Cosmos grinned and laughed when Turles’s eyes got impossibly wider. “I saved him from some men that were trying to capture him a little over fifty years ago. I was injured in the fight, took a fever and an infection in my side, and he nursed me back to health. After that he seduced the living hell out of me and fucked my brains out for a week straight. Ah… good times,” she sighed dreamily. “If you see him tell him his angel said ‘hey,’” she said with a waggle of her eyebrows._

_Still in shock, Turles didn’t even move when she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the lips. “Give him that for me, too,” she snickered, “and take care of yourself, Turles. Oh, and before I forget…”_

_The space pirate immediately smiled when she handed over a huge bottle of rum from her subspace. “Ah, even better than ass as a reward. Tell me, where did you last see Raddy? I’m thinking of tracking him down now that Arctic’s been taken care of.”_

_“Hm… hang on and I’ll tell you where he’s at right now.”_

_“Take me there?”_

_“Oh hell no. I have a patient to care for, and right now I’m keeping him under and he’s bleeding on my boots. I need to get him to a bed and fast. Raditz would try to seduce the hell out of me again and do that thing with his tongue that makes me forget my own name… let alone the fact that someone needs to be healed. He’s there!” She exclaimed with a huge grin. “Why am I not surprised…”_

_“What? A planet nearby?”_

_“No. **Here**. On **this** beach, cruising for babes. He’s a few miles down that way. I’ll pop back up after the big guy’s healed if you two are still chilling out here. Don’t forget to give Raddy that kiss. I’m peacing out before he senses me here… knowing him, it won’t be long before he does… and he comes running with that boner at the ready,” she added wryly before winking out of sight._

_#####################_

_“Wow, that took a lot out of me,” Cosmos huffed as she laid her charge down on a set of draw sheets. It would be simpler to change a sheet than change all the bedding once they’d made a mess, and she’d have to move him even less, too._

_The house they were in was small, but would suit their needs while he recuperated. It was on a small planet that she had created just for that purpose, totally uncharted and unknown. No one would think to look for him there since no one knew of its existence. An extravagant use of way too much power, yes. But absolutely necessary if they wanted to drop off the radar for a while. If anyone popped up during the next week or two, Cosmos knew she’d be far too drained to defend them both against any enemies, especially anyone from that cruiser._

_Rolling him onto his stomach, she immediately healed his bleeding wounds, and cringed at the sight of his lack of testicles. “Poor thing,” she sighed. “We’ll get those later. First, we get these arms and legs.”_

##################

_“Are you sure this is right?” Cosmos sputtered in disbelief at the glowing light radiating from her chest._

_Yes._

_The Queen of the Stars stared down at her unconscious patient for the millionth time since she’d begun the strenuous healing of his atrophied and broken body, and what lay there now was staggering in comparison to the frail physique she’d rescued._

_He was a god. An Adonis. And any other metaphors she could possibly come up with later that came even close to describing the perfect male body resting in front of her. “Hot damn, sexy man,” she muttered in amazement. “You had a pretty enough face before all of this, but now… dear gods, Minako would be drooling openly and trying like hell to fuck you senseless,” she chuckled. “If she could even **handle** what you’re packing,” she added with a wry smile. “Speaking of which…” Cosmos sighed and examined him carefully, then discarded her second glove for better skin-to-skin contact. “Thank the gods I found a way to keep you out… because this would likely hurt if I hadn’t.”_

_After a few tentative probes just behind his penis, she concentrated on the mass of scar tissue from where he’d been cut repeatedly with what looked to be a dull knife. “Don’t worry, big guy. We’ll get you whole again,” she whispered sadly._

_As she pulled on what was pretty much the last of the power in her reserves, Cosmos knew she wouldn’t have any left to keep him under for much longer. He was going to wake before she’d finished completely healing the rest of him. She would have finished that instead, but something nagged the hell out of her about leaving him without his balls any longer. It was just unfair and cruel what had been done to him, and she was going to try her damnedest to get this poor warrior back on his feet._

_#########################_

The house rocking violently shook her awake from her place on the couch, and Usagi leapt to her feet and immediately ran outside in the dark—wait, why was it dark? Had she really slept _that_ long!? She banished the thought for the moment as she blinked at the sight of the man she’d saved; he was engulfed in a bright blue light streaked with golden lightning, and he was clearly concentrating as he tipped his head back and growled at the stars in the sky.

                Opening her mouth to speak, she shut it just as quickly when a huge wave of power washed off of him and the little planet shook again as he erupted into flames of gold, his hair melting in shade to match it. “Wow,” she whispered in awe.

                His growl became a scream to the heavens, and Usagi was dumbstruck as his hair grew longer and the flames around him grew; then with another battlecry his hair grew even longer, his eyebrows disappeared into huge ridges over his eyes, and she was nearly swept off her feet from the backlash of power.

                Vegeta heard a yelp and stopped, his gaze jerking towards the house, and he flew at her, pinning her to the ground with his hands around her throat.

                Too amazed to really be afraid, Usagi just smiled shakily. “That was **_so_** cool! Can you teach me how to do that!? Or is it because you’re a Saiyan!? Your hair even changes color like mine does when I ascend to Cosmos!” She continued, her babbling causing his expression to melt to one of confusion. “Is that like a god form or something for you, like when I change? Or is it just a higher state of power, like when I’m Sailor Moon instead of Usagi—oh wait, you haven’t seen me in that fuku yet, just as Cosmos. Er… sorry, I know I talk too much.”

                Vegeta grunted and huffed as he drew back from her, releasing her throat, and he simply shook his head in amazement. Gods, this one went a mile a minute, even more than—huh. Someone he knew. A woman somewhere.

                “Sorry I startled you, big guy. I just felt the house shake and it woke me. Hungry? I know I am. Then again, I’m always hungry; Rei-chan and Mako-chan always called me the bottomless pit.”

                The prince noted the sadness in her eyes at the mention of those two names, despite the little smile on her face as she spoke. They had been friends and comrades, and if his guess was right, they were dead. He nodded though and powered down, following her inside.

                “So, here, there or the kitchen table?” Usagi asked, pointing first at her bed, then his little nest of blankets. She shrugged when he immediately went into his territory, prepared a tray, then stopped just outside of his little invisible circle. “Well? Are you going to be rude… or invite me in, wild man?” She giggled when he whuffed at her and made a gesture for her to enter, and Usagi sat down cross-legged with the food between them.

                “Seriously?” She sighed, when he eyed all the food and made no move to take any for himself. “It’s ok,” she added after a moment. “Here, eat,” she ordered after biting into a roll and holding it out. She was pleased and didn’t hide it when he actually took it from her hand— rather than insist that she set it down on the tray—and went about cheerily nibbling on things here and there before setting them down in front of him. “So, all that power, wow! Broly told me you’d be strong, but— what?” She asked with her mouth full, trying not to spray crumbs.

                Vegeta opened his mouth then closed it, then rubbed his forehead as a wave of pain went through it and he saw a spikey-haired Saiyan talking to him. He grunted in discomfort, but before the memory could continue, he felt a hand on his arm and was snapped out of it.

                Usagi gave him an apologetic smile and removed her hand at the sound of a low warning growl. “Sorry, big guy. I could feel your pain… I was only trying to relieve it. Why was your head hurting?” She sighed when he just grunted and went back to his meal. “Have it your way. Anyway, Broly told me that you would have grown in power a lot since you’ve been nearly killed so many times. He was a friend of yours, wasn’t he? He said he’d grown up with you.” The look in his eyes was all the answer she needed and she sighed sadly. “I’m sorry, big guy. I didn’t know you didn’t remember anything… do you know your name at least? And that you’re a Saiyan prince? Good,” she replied happily when he nodded. “That’s something at least. You know, it’s ironic; I’m a princess,” she giggled, shoving more food in her mouth. “In this form, anyway. I’m a queen in the other.”

                Vegeta looked up at her then and studied her carefully. Yes, she certainly carried herself regally enough to be royalty, and he briefly wondered which royal house she came from. Apparently his curiosity showed—or she’d felt it—and she winked at him. “Queen of the Stars. The great and almighty Cosmos,” she laughed. “I know, Turles thought it was a fucking fairytale, too. Honestly, though? I _hate_ it.” Usagi frowned at that and looked down at her food. “It’s very lonely, you know. I think that’s why the crystal brought me to you when I wished on it. You were lonely too; maybe as lonely as I.” Suddenly no longer hungry, Usagi pushed the tray towards him a little. “Remember to stop when you’re full,” she reminded him. “Thinking about the endless millennia ahead of me always kills my appetite. The thought of immortal solitude is more than a little depressing.”

                She was just sprawling out on the couch when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and Usagi couldn’t help but smile when she saw her patient sliding a small plate onto the coffee table. “As if you knew chocolate would cheer me up,” she sighed, picking up the fork. “Thank you, big guy,” she added as he moved back to his nest so quickly that he blinked out of sight for a moment.

                Once she was finished with her chocolate cake, Usagi picked up her book and noted that it was marked, then also noticed the blanket on the couch. “Thank you,” she repeated softly, gesturing to her book and the throw.

                Vegeta simply grunted and nodded and went back to his food with the one-mindedness of a ravenous Saiyan straight out of training, but he didn’t miss the way she was rubbing at her hip and right thigh on occasion in a way that told him she wasn’t really conscious of doing it. Was she hurt? Hell, it wasn’t any of his business, right? If he’d sized her up well enough, he knew that she’d ask for help if she needed it. Probably. Maybe. Ok, probably not. He had also seen that hot streak in her when he’d gotten her mad, and he detected a level of stubborn pride that rivaled his own. Or rather, what his own had been before all this mess started.

                He decided to inquire about it in the morning. If she was still rubbing at it, that is. 


	4. Chapter 4

Usagi blinked at a poke to her arm and looked up from her reclining position at her wild man. “Hm? Hungry again? Hang on and I’ll—“ She closed her mouth when he shook his head twice and pointed at her leg. “Huh? What?” When he made a pained expression and pointed again, she understood. “Ah. I don’t know. Just aches, is all. Might have been from you tackling me to the ground last night when I interrupted your power-up,” she chuckled.

The princess blinked in astonishment when he immediately entered her personal space and pulled up the hem of her nightgown. “If I were still a modest person I’d comment on the fact that I’m not wearing panties.” Despite her words, though, she still felt her face heating at his curious examination.

Vegeta wasn’t looking at her no-no parts, though, he was studying her thigh, looking for signs of injury. Finding none, he lowered the hem back to her knee and screwed his eyes up in confused thought. No bruising at all, but there was this scent hanging in the air around her that tickled his memory. He let it go after a moment, though; every time he’d remembered a little snippet over the last few days, he’d gotten a splitting headache for his trouble.

“Hey, thanks for caring,” Usagi said softly, smiling up at him. “I appreciate it. And it’s nothing that won’t heal in a day or two, I’m sure.”

#####################

Two more days passed, but she was still rubbing at her thigh, sometimes even her knee and her hip, and Vegeta couldn’t help but admit that he was growing a little concerned about it. Surely he hadn’t tackled her _that_ hard, right?

She seemed fine other than that, and they’d established a routine of eating and sleeping and bathing and eating some more during the last seventy-two hours. He was actually getting used to her presence and had come to learn her little emotional tells whenever she told him stories about her past. She would always smile when she was upset like that, he noticed. Whenever she talked about the other princesses that had been her friends and guardians, she got that sad little smile, and she’d only mentioned a prince once. He could tell that that subject _really_ upset her, she’d been fighting back tears the moment she mentioned him.

He simply listened between meals and naps… not like he had a damned choice, anyway. Gods, that woman could **_TALK_**! She’d apologized for it on several occasions, too, and had explained her age and her constant lack of company. It seemed she was making up for decades of lost yacking time.

Vegeta went outside more, and his Saiyan eyes were quickly adapting to full sunlight; thank the gods for fast healing on his part, he knew someone of another race would need months in order to get used to light once more. Whenever he went out he powered up; not to his fullest, though. He felt a deep well of power past the level he’d reached the first night he’d really started to tap into it, but part of him was a little terrified of what might happen if he unleashed it. It annoyed him a little that his concern wasn’t only for himself or the planet, but it was also for the little blonde woman that talked his damned ear off.

Whenever he went out, she came as well and watched him, sitting comfortably on the ground and “oohing” and “aahing” as he went through pieces of katas that he remembered before flying into a sparring match with an invisible partner. He usually drew those out longer than necessary since Usagi seemed totally entranced by his fighting and was extremely vocal in her amazement and praise for his speed and skills.

Vegeta couldn’t help but enjoy having his own little enthusiastic cheering section, and he found himself actually showing off for her on more than one occasion, totally forgetting his years of torture in the complexity of the smooth movements of his body.

It was like a little piece of heaven.

###########################

Usagi rolled out of bed with a groan, and when she didn’t move with her usual caution around him, he growled at her.

And to his surprise, she growled right back and glared at him in a silent order to shut up and move out of her way. He complied after a moment of stunned reaction and stepped back and to the side, noting how quickly she was— limping?— to the bathroom. Then he caught it; a scent in the air, a taste on the tip of his tongue, and he went rigid in response, snarling under his breath.

Blood.

She was bleeding.

Usagi jumped when a single pound sounded on the bathroom door, and with a huff of angry frustration she reached forward and yanked the door open. “ ** _What_**!?”

That made him step back once again; she was reacting in anger and pain… she was limping and bleeding… therefore, she could only be injured. And a wounded animal was not something to be trifled with—she could strike out at him at any moment. He sniffed the air tentatively and whuffed at the scent.

“Yes, I’m bleeding, now get out!” She ordered loudly, using her foot to kick the door shut in his face before reaching into her subspace for her necessary items while she grumbled about periods… and how she _never_ had one as Cosmos. But _oh no_ , she just had to go and save the sorry ass of someone that only trusted her in her human form, and now she was paying the consequences of being mortal.

At least now she knew why her leg had been bothering her for three days; if her last period hadn’t been nearly two-thousand years ago, she would have recognized the signs and insisted on shifting back to Cosmos.

He stared at her curiously when the door swung open and she limped right back to the bed and snuggled in under the covers, still toting that infuriating scent right along with her. Infuriating? Wait… _why_ was he angry? She was injured, so fucking what? She’d heal, and she clearly didn’t want any of his assistance—hell, she clearly didn’t want him within _five feet_ of her at the moment.

He took his customary position in his bedding near the fireplace and studied her for a long time as she tossed and turned and tried to get comfortable, a whimper sounding now and again from beneath the covers. After an hour of observing, he slowly approached the bed and cleared his throat.

Pain-filled blue eyes met his and he felt a swell of sympathy—something he hadn’t felt in over a hundred years—rise up in him. It scared him a little, but he continued to study her to find the source of her pain as he wondered how he would even go about relieving it for her. He was beginning to get hungry and still didn’t trust the food, so maybe she’d feed him if he helped her.

“It’s called a period,” she finally whimpered, “if you’re wondering what’s wrong. I’ll bleed like this for a week, maybe a little less—what?” She asked, when his eyes widened and he took a surprised step back.

Seven days!? She was going to be like this for a week!?

“The price of being in my mortal form,” she sighed. “Unless you’d stop being a douche for five minutes and let me just stay as Cosmos,” she added with a hint of a growl.

The thought of her changing back into that silver woman made him growl right back at her, baring his teeth savagely in a display of dominance.

Usagi only returned it with her own little snarl in a clear message that she would not be bossed during her time of the month, and actually rose out of the bed to shove at him. “Then just fuck off and leave me be if you’re not going to be of any help!” She shouted, giving him another shove for good measure. “Shit, if anything you _owe_ me for tolerating that damned temper of yours and tiptoeing around you like you’re some sort of ticking time bomb! I’m sick, I’m tired, and I’m cramping like a fucking bitch from my stomach to my knees! Every muscle is tight as a damned bowstring! So **_fuck off_**!”

He went back to his makeshift bed and sat there deep in thought for several hours as he tried to force his memory to come back to him. Or at least any of it that involved something called a ‘period.’ Something that made women bleed and yell and act like… well, like he did. Was there a remedy for it? Something that would make her feel better so he could at least eat something?

He only looked up once when she slid slowly out of the bed and made her way back to the bathroom, the blood scent just a little lighter upon her return; she must have cleaned some of it up and… changed bandages or something. Who knew? This woman was awfully strange.  He whuffed a little once more and she looked at him wearily.

“What?” She asked with a little whine. “If you’re hungry, there’s one of those capsules on the counter. Just activate it and eat.”

Oh. So there _was_ food. He moved to the counter and did as he was told, but only stared at all the food in distrust. It could be poisoned… but nothing she’d given him so far had made him sick.

Usagi sighed when she felt a weight settle on the other side of the bed. Drawing back the covers, she stared up at him, and then down at the tray. “Seriously? You really think I’d give you poisoned food or something after two weeks of healing you and nursing you back to health. You’re honestly starting to piss me off, honey. Just go eat and leave me be.”

Ok, fine. That was part of it. But if she was injured, didn’t she need to eat, too? Slowly… ever so slowly, he picked up a piece of meat with his fingers and took the tiniest bite of it with only the barest hint of hesitation. He then grunted softly and offered it to her, and was relieved to see her give him a hint of a smile. Good, she wasn’t mad at him anymore.

“Thank you… you have no idea how much I really appreciate the gesture… but when I’m on my period I can’t eat meat. It kind of makes me sick to my stomach. Most things do when I’m bleeding.” Usagi felt guilty for turning down the offered food, especially when his eyes seemed to draw inward like they usually did when he was upset.

But he wasn’t upset, per say—he was thinking, trying to remember… and then something came to him. He’d fixed the blue woman soup. She’d been sick, and he’d wanted her to feel better. Yes… soup made everything better. She’d said so when he’d handed it to her in his memory.

Usagi blinked in surprise when he selected a bowl from the enormous tray, a hunk of bread and a spoon, and slowly offered it to her. Yes, she could probably stomach some soup and bread.

When she hesitated and looked up at him in surprise, he took a small sip from the bowl as if it were a cup, and ate a tiny piece of the bread before offering them up seriously.

Something told her that he would be very upset if she didn’t take the offering, and Usagi nodded slowly before pulling herself into a sitting position, holding her abdomen as she tried to control her breathing. “Gods, that fucking hurts,” she whimpered. Usagi went still when his hand reached out and hovered over her abdomen, a look of confusion on his face. “I’m bleeding from between my legs,” she supplied knowingly. “It cramps me up from my abdomen down to my knees.”

Between her legs!? Where she…!? Her _mating parts_ were bleeding!? Dear gods, the poor woman! His eyes went ridiculously wide as he thought of how much agony he’d been in when his own genitals had been bloodied, and he could easily imagine the amount of pain she was in. In the first flash of actual, genuine concern that he felt for her, he forced down his fear of contact and moved around to the other side of the bed to sit behind her. She’d said every muscle hurt from her belly to her legs. Maybe he could fix that.

Usagi gasped in surprise when he actually touched her, his hands pushing up her nightgown and yanking it full over her head to bare her. She found herself blushing, but he obviously wasn’t paying attention to her breasts; he was turning her a little so he could examine her stomach and rest his hands over it. She nearly collapsed, and wound up leaning her head against his chest when his hands warmed with his ki and began to lightly rub, and she bit back a moan when he moved them around to her back. “Please don’t stop,” she slurred, her voice thick with tears of relief.

He didn’t, at least not until she indicated in a choked voice that she felt a little better. But he felt a little cheated when she drew away and tugged a sheet up to cover herself from his gaze. She’d been warm. And it had felt… nice to hold her like that. _Why_ was beyond him, unless… did he want to mate with this woman, perhaps?

He watched her out of the corner of his eye curiously as he contemplated the idea. She was certainly attractive, and—oh fine, who was he kidding? She was fucking gorgeous, and his aversion to touch was the only thing keeping his cock from doing his thinking for him. What surprised him a bit was the fact that he could feel sexually aroused _at all_ after the more excruciating parts of his torture and captivity… but it was there for her, all the same. Then again, pain of any kind, after a couple decades, had simply been that. The humiliation, the shame of what they’d done to them… that had faded right along with everything else… eventually. Pain was pain and nothing more. At least after they’d sufficiently broken him. He only felt the shame afresh in his nightmares.

And this woman… she hadn’t given him any pain. Not the slightest bit. In fact, she’d given him the opposite, and after so long in agony, he was finding himself craving her pleasant touch despite the fact that he inwardly flinched right before she laid hands on him. He simply couldn’t help the reflex any more than he could help breathing. Would he even be capable of mating with her if he had trouble letting her touch him?

Hm, that would require some thought. Maybe he could go about it without letting her touch him with her hands, but would she be willing to do something like that? He’d had vague flashes of memories that involved mating, and he knew that both parties normally touched and sometimes tasted the other. He’d let her know of his interest, perhaps, once she was no longer in pain. In the meantime, maybe he could get used to letting her touch him a little more. He owed her, after all.

Usagi took the bowl of soup from him when he offered it again, and with a little smirk she tugged part of the sheet over his lap to cover him. “You really should put some clothes on, sexy man. Not that I’m not enjoying the view, but…” And it was _quite_ the nice view… especially when he woke first thing in the morning and was standing at full mast from an urgent need to pee.

He grunted in approval when she sipped at the offered food slowly, only to clutch his head and groan at a sudden wave of memory.

_“Well now… isn’t that thoughtful!? The high-and-mighty Prince of all Saiyans is actually sharing something?”_

_“Feh… don’t read too much into it, woman. It’s only because you’re my mate.”_

_The blue-eyed, blue-haired woman shook with laughter and kissed him gently. “Thank you, Vegeta. I appreciate the gesture.”_

_“Ugh. Just shut up and eat, woman. I don’t have all damned day.”_

He was snapped out of the memory by an identical set of blue eyes staring down at him with worry, and realized that he must have passed out. “These spells you keep having… you’re remembering stuff, aren’t you? I… I could look into your mind and find out stuff… if you’d like. I would have done it before, but that would have seemed awfully rude.”

He vigorously shook his head in response and sat back up with a huff. So, the blue woman had been his mate, and he apparently only shared with her. That was certainly quite a bit of information in one shot; no wonder he’d passed out from the strain. He stopped as he picked up a piece of fresh bread and studied it for a moment before taking a bite and nonchalantly offering it to her.

If he wanted to mate with her, apparently his kind shared their food. Maybe she’d understand the gesture and offer herself once her mating parts weren’t bleeding anymore. If she didn’t, he’d consider making a move and finding out whether or not she was agreeable to the idea.

“Thank you,” Usagi said with a smile, taking an offered bowl of stew from him once her soup was gone. He’d taken a sip from it first, just as he’d done to all her food; was this some sort of custom among his people, maybe? Perhaps that was why he’d refused to eat anything unless she’d tasted it for him first. Odd, but if that was the case, perhaps his memories were coming back to him a little faster. “Here,” she said, offering him a large piece of meat after taking a tiny bite.

Her stomach felt queasy at the taste though, and she spat the tiny bite into a napkin before giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry… it’s just… the taste made me want to throw up.” She sighed with relief when he dug into the meat anyway and she did the same to the bowl of stew, sopping up some of it with the bread on occasion.

Finally, she sighed happily and laid back down, but apparently her patient had other ideas. “What?” She asked when he grunted down at her.

Vegeta held out his hands and engulfed them in his ki before pointing to her back.

“Really?” She asked softly. “Thanks, big guy,” she whispered, sitting up to face him. Before Usagi could stop herself, she’d closed the gap between them just enough to brush her mouth over his, and found him staring at her in shock and fear when she opened her eyes and pulled away. “I meant it as a thank you, big guy, that’s all… I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, honey,” she said hurriedly.

Vegeta slowly raised his hand to his lips in astonishment, his tongue darting out to taste where her mouth had just been. His eyes fluttered half-shut at the whisper of her flavor on his lips and he felt something inside of him purring in reaction to it.

Ok, it was official. He wanted her. And he was definitely making that intention known once she was feeling better. He grunted after another long moment of thought on that subject and motioned for her to lie down on her stomach.

“Ok,” Usagi sighed with relief. “I thought you were going to be really mad at me for a minute. Again, I’m sorry, big guy. I tend to think with stupid, sentimental, girly hormones when I’m on my period, rather than my damned common sense. It makes me a bit of an emotional sap,” she chuckled. The chuckle turned into a laugh when he huffed, his inflection of tone indicating that he always thought she was a sap. “Well, that’s your opinion, mister.” Then she felt his super-heated hands on her lower back and she groaned, her face thumping forward into her pillow. “Mmm… shutting up,” she mumbled.

 _Finally,_ Vegeta thought with a touch of amusement. _I’ve discovered the off-switch to the mouth’s motor._

“Empathic, remember?” Usagi giggled, the sound muffled by her pillow. “You think that me shutting up is laughable. It gets stronger with touch, just so you know. Touching me makes it easy for me to read you.” She couldn’t tell for sure, but she could have sworn she heard him chuckle briefly as he moved to her thighs and began to massage them. Other than to moan and gurgle with pleasure, that really did shut her up and she relaxed into his touch.

Until she felt his curiosity, followed by a tug to the crotch of her panties. “Hey!” She yelped, flipping over to glare at him. He was no longer on the bed when she turned; he was across the room in his own territory, his eyes glinting with suspicion. Usagi let out a long sigh at that and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before waving him back over. “You can’t just… you know. Go tugging at a woman’s panties like that. Give a girl some warning first, huh?” She joked. “Besides, big guy, I’m bleeding. You move those and I’ll make a mess. Come on,” she coaxed gently. “I’m sorry I yelled, you just surprised the shit out of me.”

Her patience rivaled his own, and Usagi sat there and waited for over ten minutes while he slowly relaxed his fighting stance. Then slowly—ever so slowly—he crossed the invisible line that divided his little realm from everything else. She was unsurprised when she held out a hand to give him a comforting touch and he flinched away. “Gods, I always ruin everything,” she sighed. “We were both nice and relaxed for the most part and I fucked it up. I’m sorry, big guy. I didn’t mean to make you get your defenses back up… you don’t ever have to be afraid of me. I’d never hurt you, ok?”

Usagi sighed with relief when he hesitantly climbed back onto the bed and watched her cautiously. “I need to finish healing your legs, big guy. Now that my powers are recharged a bit from a few days of rest. Is that alright?” She asked gently, still feeling horribly guilty for scaring him.

Vegeta nodded slowly but still flinched when her hands touched and rested on his bare thighs, and he fought to hold still despite the healing warmth that flooded him and the way her powers made him want to relax. “Try not to tense, sweetheart,” she whispered distractedly, stroking her hands down to his knees as she continued to heal him. She stopped when she heard a low growl, and slowly cracked her eyes open. “What, honey? Am I hurting you?”

The concern in her eyes—and the fact that they were still that captivating shade of blue—were the only things that kept him from throwing her off of him. Slowly, he picked up a length of her hair from the bed and held it up in her line of sight. “Oh,” Usagi said in surprise at the sight of silver mixed in with the gold. “Huh… that’s never happened before. Is there a little star on my forehead instead of a moon?” She shrugged when he shook his head. “I don’t know how to reverse it at the moment, big guy. Let me finish healing you real quick. I’m nearly done.” Usagi smiled when he hesitantly nodded, and she moved to his calves, then his feet. “Trying not to tickle,” she giggled when he jumped at her touch on the arch of his foot. “Sorry!” She exclaimed when he squirmed and tried to wrench his leg out of her grasp. “Ok, ok!” She laughed hysterically as she let him go. “I’ll leave your feet alone,” she finally managed once her laughing spell was over, though she was still wheezing, lying on her back, her hair melting back to gold as it pooled around her like a halo. “All done, big guy. Sorry I tickled,” she apologized with a snicker. “I really didn’t mean to, and I honestly didn’t peg you as the ticklish type!”

Vegeta quirked an eyebrow at that and pointed at her. “What? Me?” She snickered. Then she caught a glint in his eyes that she instinctively knew meant trouble, and she shook her head and tried to backpedal away from him. “No!” She cackled the moment he grabbed her ankle and stroked his fingertips over the arch of her foot. “Noooo! Please no!” She cried, wiggling and laughing and trying to escape his grasp. “Oh—my—God—tickles! Please—ahah—hahahahaha! Please stop, big guy! I’m gonna PEE!”

Usagi went limp on the comforter when he released her and wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked up at him. “That was so damned mean!” She giggled.

Vegeta was strangely pleased by her laughter and that infectious smile on her face, and before he could stop himself he was bending down over her and pressing his lips to hers.

The princess was so shocked by the gesture that she froze, and only when he pulled away after letting his mouth linger on hers for a moment did she find her voice again. “Wow,” she wheezed, “that… was one hell of a thank you.” And it sure as hell felt like _more_ than just a thank you. Usagi immediately banished the thought; the man had been raped for decades, didn’t remember anything, and she’d only just kissed him as a thank you a half-hour ago. Clearly, he was only trying to return to gesture. There was no way in hell he was ready for any kind of intimacy after only two weeks out of Hell.

“Okay, really do have to pee,” she giggled after a short awkward silence, and she slipped from the bed and limped to the bathroom to do her business and change her pad. When she returned she found him waiting with a bottle in hand, his eyebrows knit together as he thought. “What?”

Vegeta held out the bottle he’d found in the bathroom earlier and pointed at her stomach before handing it over. “Oh,” she said knowingly, reading the label. “I… uh… I…” She looked up at him fretfully and sighed. “Look… I can take one for the pain and it’ll take the edge off, but it won’t do me much good.”

He held up two fingers and shrugged as if the answer was obvious.

“Yeah... about that. Two of them make me loopy as hell. I didn’t want to take them and risk doing or saying something that might scare you. Thanks, though. I appreciate the thought,” she said gently as she placed the bottle back in his hand.

Vegeta growled at the little bottle. Fuck it. She was in pain and it was bothering him to watch her limp around and grimace whenever she moved. He opened the bottle and huffed at the sight of capsules, rather than pills. So much for breaking one in half instead of giving her two whole pills. He grunted at her and approached the bed, and tried not to admire her bare body as he held out the medicine.

“You’re sure…?” Usagi asked softly. “I mean… I can trust you not to freak out if I touch you or something? The last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me, big guy. I can handle a little pain if it means sparing you more.”

That broke what little uncertainty he had about the matter and he grasped her wrist with his free hand before dumping the pills in it and grunting a wordless, firm order for her to take them. “Whatever you say, honey,” Usagi sighed. She took them with a swallow of water from the nightstand and laid back to wait for them to kick in. “You’ll know they’re working when I either pass out and snore my head off, or when I start talking and simply won’t stop,” she chuckled.

“What?” She asked when he continued to watch her silently, his expression telling her that something was bothering him. Then he locked eyes with her and licked his lips, and Usagi giggled in response. “I swear… are you sure you’re not really sixteen and making any excuse to kiss a beautiful, naked woman?” She teased lightly. When his face went carefully blank she grinned. “Yup. That’s what I thought.” However, she sat up and scooted over to press her lips to his, but before she drew back she felt his tongue flick over her lower lip. “Big guy!” She gasped, pulling away. “That’s _not_ a thank you kiss,” she whispered in surprise.

The tiny smirk playing on his mouth told her that he’d planned it and she huffed. “I swear… no matter how old boys get, they’re still going to be little boys when it comes to girls,” she snorted as she moved back over and pulled the covers up around herself. Usagi rolled over when she felt him climbing into the bed and she frowned at him. “Don’t try anything funny, mister.”

His eyes seemed to laugh at her and she chuckled. “Troll. You were teasing me, weren’t you?”

 _Believe what you want, woman,_ he thought wryly as he surrounded his hands in his ki and motioned for her to lie down. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, lots of stuff going in RL, so moving stuff to AO3 got put on pause.

_“What do you know of **meaningless**!?” Vegeta yelled furiously. “Spend most of your life ruled by another, watch your race dwindle to a handful...and then tell me what has more meaning than your **own strength**! I have in me the blood of a Saiyan prince. He is nothing but **a joke**! Yet, I've had to watch **him** surpass me in strength... **my** destiny thrown to the wayside! He's...he's even saved my life as if I were a helpless child. He has stolen my honor. And his debts... **must be paid**!”_

_“Trunks…”  Vegeta didn’t even want to know what he looked like just then to his only child; he’d done the unthinkable. He’d killed innocent people, all for his pride. Sure, he’d managed to curb that blast to avoid his mate, but it didn’t make up for the thousands of innocents in the stands a hundred feet from her. “Trunks… you are my only son and yet… I haven't held you once since you were a baby, have I?”_

_He watched his son quickly look down with a touch of embarrassment and smirked slightly at the sight. The boy had a lot of his mother in him—he even had her coloring, if not her face—but his personality was one hundred percent Vegeta at that same age. Easily embarrassed, prideful to a fault and too damned smart for his own good. His mouth had a tendency to get him into more trouble than not._ Just like his old man, _Vegeta mused silently. “Come here, son,” he commanded gently with a small wave of his hand._

_The little boy that Vegeta wished he’d been a better father to slowly approached, and he felt Trunks shiver in surprise when he hugged him tightly, his little lavender head resting on his father’s stomach. “Dad… what’s wrong?”_

_Vegeta didn’t answer, he merely closed his eyes for a moment and savored the love flowing through him for his only son, an emotion that he had closed himself off from for years._

_“Ah… this is embarrassing, Dad. Come on, cut it out,” Trunks mumbled, blushing from a combination of awkwardness and just a little bit of pleasure at finally being held by the man he so deeply admired._

_The Prince of all Saiyans slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his son with a genuine smile._ I’m sorry, son, _he thought to himself._ I’m sorry there was no other way, that I’d been a better father to you. Forgive me… I hope that one day… you’ll understand why I had to do this. _“Trunks… there is something you should know,” he finally spoke aloud. “You’ve made me very proud… my son.”_

_“You’ll die… you know that…”_

_Despite the need to get his son out of there and his little training partner as well, Vegeta hesitated to let Piccolo leave and carry the boys to safety. “There is one thing I’d like to know… tell me… will I meet that clown, Kakarot, in the other world?”_

_“I'm not going to lie to you, Vegeta… although the answer may be difficult for you to hear. This is the truth… Goku devoted his life to protecting the lives of others. Because of his selflessness...when he died...he was allowed to keep his body...and travel to King Kai's planet. You, on the other hand, have spent your life in pursuit of your own selfish desires. You've caused too much pain. When you die, you will not receive the same reward.”_

_“Oh well,” he chuckled softly. “So be it.” Vegeta frowned as Majin Buu drew closer, and he remembered the precious cargo that the Namek was carrying. “That will be all. Get out of here, and **hurry**_.”

Usagi yawned and stretched a little, only to grimace at the ache throughout the lower half of her body. “Well, I slept like a rock, but I’m all achy again,” she sighed. “Sorry if I talked your ear off,” she added as she opened her eyes. Usagi blinked at the sight of her wild man still passed out, but she was only alarmed when she noticed the trickle of blood coming from his nose.

She leapt from the bed in a flash, ignoring the protestations from her body, and she vigorously shook Vegeta the moment she was at his side, flooding him with her healing powers. “Come on, big guy. Wake up, honey.” Usagi was crying openly as she continued to use her powers and shake him, and when he did she had just enough time to look blatantly relieved before she was thrown into the nearest wall by a terrified Saiyan prince.

Vegeta trembled for several moments, panting for air until he realized that he was awake. And that he’d just— _Dear gods, no!_ He was at Usagi’s side in a flash, still shaking uncontrollably, but more out of fear for her than from his reaction to his very vivid flashback. _Fuck, fuck, FUCK!_ Vegeta shook her lightly, but when she didn’t move he scooped her up and immediately took her to his little nest and laid her down before checking her over for injuries.

He was tracing the bruises on her arms and back when he felt her stir, and he immediately rolled her onto her back to shake his head and hold her down when she tried to sit up, his eyes full of worry as he stroked her hair away from her face. Licking his lips, he opened his mouth, closed it, then finally settled on what little apology he could manage. “Sorry,” he mouthed silently, hoping she could read his lips.

“You ok?” She whispered; she couldn’t help but flinch when his hand rose up a little to stroke her cheek.

Vegeta groaned a little and nodded; of course she’d be more concerned for him than herself and the fact that he could have easily broken her in half with that throw across the room. And her reaction to his touch made him inwardly ache; was this how she felt every time she tried to touch him and he drew away from her in fear?

“You were awake and had another flashback and passed out, didn’t you? Your nose was bleeding… you scared the hell out of me when I couldn’t wake you up,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to scare you, big guy.”

Vegeta vigorously shook his head at that. This was _not_ her fault, damn it. But apparently she’d taken his denial of her words the wrong way, judging by the tears welling up in her eyes. “My fault,” he mouthed, pointing emphatically at himself before gently forcing her to lie back down with his free hand. “Stay,” he ordered silently.

Usagi sighed and did as he asked, since the very fact that he was verbally communicating—albeit silently—was an enormous step for him and she didn’t want to discourage it. “Big guy… what did you dream about?” She asked as he carefully resumed his examination of her.

“Fighting,” he replied, before shaking his head. 

“Just that made you pass out and gave you a monster nosebleed?” She asked suspiciously.

Vegeta sighed and shook his head before holding out his hand a few feet off the ground, and he knew she understood after a few moments.

“A child? _Your_ child… well, that makes more sense. A good dream, at least?” When he nodded once, then shook his head, she sighed. “It’s never just happy with you, is it? It always has to be bad, too?”

Vegeta nodded at that and sighed, and nearly growled aloud when she jumped at his probing of the back of her head until he realized she’d flinched from pain and not from his presence. He sputtered at that and felt the goose egg forming from where she collided with the wall, keeping his touch light until he eased her head back onto one of his pillows. With a few motions and gestures he ordered her not to fall asleep, then moved around in the kitchen to fix them something to eat.

“Big guy…? I really need to pee,” Usagi informed him. “I just woke up, after all.” She sighed when he wordlessly commanded her to wait a minute, and once he brought the tray over and set it down, he scooped her up carefully. “I can walk—“

Vegeta merely growled and shook his head as he carried her to the bathroom and placed her on the commode after drawing down her underwear for her.

“I can’t go when someone’s watching,” Usagi ground through her teeth, “and I’m not a baby, either.” She huffed when he curiously eyed her blood-soaked pad, and she went about changing it quickly and disposing of the old one before looking back up at him. Finally she growled at him loudly and pointed at the door, half-surprised when he quickly complied with a hint of shock in his eyes. Whether it was shock at her reaction or the simple fact that she could produce such a wild, feral sound, she didn’t know or care. It had gotten results.

But of course he was right there the moment she tried to stand, and he was righting her panties before carrying her back to his own little nest. Usagi didn’t miss the possessive glint in his eyes as he nestled her into the blankets, propped her into a sitting position and covered her up, his chest emanating a light purr.

As he prepared something for her to eat, he knew—thanks to all of those flashbacks—that he was reacting to her as he would a potential mate. He was courting her in his own little bizarre way. That hurt a bit, since he knew it meant his own mate was likely dead, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t mourn her until he knew for sure. His kind _could_ only mate one woman at a time, right?

Maybe not. Maybe the blue woman was still alive and happy somewhere and had found another mate in his absence. That was good, he decided. He’d likely never be able to find his home ever again, and he knew from his flashbacks that he’d loved her very much. He wanted the blue woman— _Bulma_ , he reminded himself—to be happy. Gods, he **_hoped_** she was alive and happy somewhere. He was broken out of his reverie by an indignant sputter from Usagi when he held a spoon to her lips, and he lifted a questioning brow in response.

“I can feed myself, you know.” When his mouth set in a hard line that she knew she couldn’t argue with, Usagi sputtered and let loose a long string of swearing in Japanese until he grunted at her and moved the spoon closer to her lips. “Fine!” She snapped before opening her mouth and waiting patiently. She swallowed the spoonful of soup and glared at him when she reached for the bowl and he refused to hand it over. “Seriously, big guy, I’m not a fucking child.”

 _Then why are you acting like one?_ He thought in exasperation. Then he realized he’d forgotten something for the first time ever, and he raised the bowl to his lips and took a swallow of the soup before holding the bowl to her lips as well.

The hope in his eyes made her sigh and part her lips to take the offering, and she drank it all to placate him before pretending to be tired when he tried to feed her a piece of chocolate cake. “No, I think I’ll just lie down for a while. My head kind of hurts.”

Vegeta vigorously shook his head at that and told her through pantomime that sleeping would be a very bad idea. “Fine, then what do you suggest?” She grumbled. He gently moved her onto her stomach, and the moment she opened her mouth to protest he began to massage her neck.

 _Ah, the off switch._ He was purring again when she went limp in reaction, and he used that opportunity to examine her injuries more closely, lighting dragging the tips of his fingers over the bruises. _I’m sorry, woman. You’re the last person I want to hurt._

“It’s alright, big guy,” Usagi whispered into the pillow her face was buried in. “I’ll transform to Cosmos while you’re sleeping later and I’ll heal right up.” She gasped in pain despite his gentleness when he sat her back up suddenly, but the ache in her spine was forgotten when he actually held her tightly to his chest. Ever so slowly Usagi let her arms snake around his waist and rested her head on his bare chest, marveling at how strong the purr coming from within had become. “I love apology hugs, but it’s really ok, big guy. You didn’t know what you were doing; you didn’t even know who I was.”

She gave him a reassuring smile when he pulled back a little to look down at her, but the look in his eyes made her hesitate, her hand rising up to cup his cheek. “Don’t look so guilt-stricken, honey. I forgive you, and it won’t happen again, right?” Usagi’s heart began to pound as he slowly closed the gap between their mouths, his breath warm against her lips as their noses just barely touched and his purr shifted to a new pattern, one that was only used to seduce.

The Queen of the Stars knew this from her earlier dealings with a certain long-haired warrior, but when she expected him to lean in just a fraction of an inch to claim her lips, he tipped his face up a hair to place a brief kiss between her eyebrows. With a blush to her cheeks, Usagi gently removed herself from his embrace and pulled a silk nightgown from her subspace. “Forgot I was naked,” she whispered in embarrassment, suddenly feeling very modest.

Vegeta certainly hadn’t, and his paranoia was back in full-force as she pulled the garment over her head. A firm grunt stopped her in her tracks and she peeked out of the hole for her head to blink at him in confusion. “What’s wrong, big guy? Oh—wait—what are you—ugh, fine,” she sputtered as he tugged the nightgown away and tossed it just beyond his invisible territory line. She watched him make a few gestures and finally understood, sighing in sympathy. “For the record, big guy… I don’t need to hide weapons in my clothing. They’re all hidden in my subspace,” she informed him with a smirk.

Usagi realized her words too late and knew that she’d have to warn him consistently whenever she reached in to grab something from that day forward, and sighed a little. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to give you another reason to be paranoid. Would you like me to bare all my weapons and put them up in plain view?” She added after a minute of thinking it over.

Vegeta shook his head and pointed to the back of her head. He didn’t want her walking yet for any reason, even to ease his suspicions, but he appreciated the offer. He silently commanded her to lie back down and used a fur among the blankets to cover her up; it reeked of his scent and he preferred sleeping with it at night due to its softness against his bare skin.

Usagi suddenly giggled and grinned at him as a funny thought popped into her head. “Truth be told, big guy, my most potent weapon of them all is hidden in my underwear.” She jumped when he quickly jerked back the fur and began tugging at her panties, but she found herself laughing hysterically at his reaction. “Oh dear gods—big guy—you’re fucking killing me, here! It was—it was a joke! A dirty joke!”

He immediately stopped when he was doing, noted the blood on her pad, and tugged her underwear back into place carefully before rolling his eyes and huffing at her.

“You didn’t get the joke? Dear gods, honey. Well, it’s not funny if I explain it, but I meant that my hoo-hoo is my most potent weapon. As it is for any woman,” she added with an evil waggle of her eyebrows. Usagi sighed when he just stared at her for a long moment, but when he suddenly barked out a short, loud laugh, she grinned again.

Vegeta chuckled quietly to himself as he tugged the fur back into place, but he was serious again when he met her eyes. _You sleep, I’ll watch over you,_ he ordered with a few quick gestures.

“I don’t suppose you’d lie down with me, would—“ Usagi smiled when he immediately did so and slid beneath the fur to wrap an arm around her waist. Well, at least her period wasn’t totally useless; it had broken down a lot of his resistance towards physical contact, and that was a huge step.

 

######################

Usagi roused gradually to a hand gently examining her scalp and a low-pitched rumble of a purr vibrating against her back. Apparently her wild man hadn’t left her side, and she found herself smiling despite the ache in her head. She didn’t bother to open her eyes though she knew that he knew she was awake, if the subtle change in his purr was any indication.

It was back to that pulsing rumble that she strongly suspected meant that he was aroused, even though she could feel his lack thereof against the back of her thigh. Maybe she was wrong; maybe he just liked her a lot and didn’t want anything physical. Usagi changed her mind again when she felt him burying his face in her hair and sighing in contentment. Ok, she wasn’t horribly experienced with Saiyans, but Raditz had only done that to breathe in her scent. He’d said that it calmed him.

However, she didn’t want to startle him when he so badly needed to know that physical contact was alright, that she wouldn’t harm him for touching her. Besides the fact that he was nude and she was very close to matching his dress, his touch was platonic, anyway, and she was positive that he wouldn’t try anything while she was bleeding.

As if sensing her thoughts, his hands travelled lower and warmed with his ki as they explored her abdomen, rubbing and kneading in slow, gentle circles. Usagi sighed happily at that and as she relaxed she realized that she’d tensed up. No wonder he was massaging her aching muscles… Usagi smiled at that thought. He’d thought that she was tense because she was in pain, not because she was a little worried that he’d try something. That was good; very good, in fact. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was afraid of contact with him at all, she could sense that he was still beating himself up for hurting her that morning. “Feels good,” she whispered sleepily.

She kept her eyes closed when he gently turned her and began to work on her lower back, and she couldn’t help but snuggle against him tightly, her face nuzzling his chest. “Mmm… smell good,” she mumbled, already dozing back off in complete and utter relaxation. “Like… mmm… right there… like a cedar bonfire in… winter…”

Vegeta blinked at that but continued what he was doing while he thought hard. Her words had come out of the blue woman’s— _Bulma’s_ —mouth before, he was sure of it. Absolutely positive.

_Love your scent… smoky and warm and woodsy… a fire on a cold night…_

He flinched at the ache between his eyes but relaxed when he felt her respond to his pain by using her light to take it. He grunted his thanks but as an afterthought he nudged at her chin so she was looking up.

Usagi couldn’t help but lean into the kiss a little when he pressed his mouth to hers; what he was doing with his hands made her feel soft and submissive, and his Saiyan musk wasn’t helping matters by a long shot.

That kiss barely toed the line between chaste and something much, _much_ more, and it lingered a lot longer than a thank you kiss should have, but Usagi merely smiled up at him when he drew back, gazing down at her seriously. “I’m happy that you’re ok with me touching you, big guy,” she sighed in contentment, laying her head back down to nuzzle his rippling chest. “It’s been a long time since… since I’ve been held like this,” she admitted softly. “I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until now. Thank you for this, honey,” she added, unable to express just how much being held meant to her.

On some level she knew that she was being a silly emotional sap, but she’d craved this sort of prolonged contact for decades, ever since Raditz had taken his leave after two crazy ass weeks. That had hurt, his leaving, but she didn’t hold it against him. Raditz was Raditz and she wouldn’t change him for the world. “You don’t mind this, do you?” She asked suddenly, not wanting to seem clingy.

Vegeta felt her relax once more as he slowly shook his head and kissed her forehead. This was what he wanted; he was still averse to contact but as long as she held still and simply submitted without moving, he was fine. And that’s how he’d probably wind up mating with her if she was agreeable to the idea when she was finished bleeding. But for now he’d get used to the extra contact while she enjoyed his warmth and his scent.

They relaxed like that for a long time, Vegeta’s hands leisurely exploring her as she simply appreciated the attention and mumbled happily now and again. Usagi hadn’t realized that she was dozing until she felt his lips move over her shoulder gently, but continued to feign sleep out of pure curiosity. What was he doing? She got her answer when he bit down lightly and an unreal wave of pleasure shot through her, making her gasp and crack open her eyes. “What was _that_?” She panted.

Vegeta blinked and shrugged after a moment; he’d had absolutely no clue what had possessed him to do that, he’d merely been drifting off himself and his beast had taken over a little bit. “Sorry,” he mouthed, brushing his palm over her shoulder.

“S’ok, wild man. It didn’t hurt, it just surprised me,” she chuckled. Usagi stretched a little bit and glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the receding light through the window. “Damn, I’d meant to say something this morning,” she yawned. “I need stuff and I wanted to travel to a planet nearby for an hour or two to get it.” Usagi yawned once more and when she opened her eyes she found him staring at her angrily. “Whoa, honey,” she whispered gently. “Don’t get angry; I wouldn’t ask for this if it wasn’t necessary.”

 _What do you need?_ He asked with his eyes and facial expressions.

“You know… feminine stuff,” she replied with a blush. When he just looked at her blankly, waiting for her to elaborate, she sighed and slumped against him in defeat. “Stuff for my period. I’ve only got a couple of pads left. I figured I could take care of a few things at once anyway; I thought you might like a home-cooked meal. Those capsule trays are tasty, but I feel like actually cooking something. And I also need to transform to fully heal my head… so I thought I could pop out at the same time. While you’re sleeping though, I just thought I’d warn you on the off chance that you wake up while I’m gone.”

Vegeta forced himself to relax and lie back down, pulling her tightly to him once more, his beast rising up and demanding that he keep her there and protect her. If something happened to her… that would be his undoing, he knew it. Usagi was the only link he had to what humanity he’d regained during the last two weeks, and he’d throw it all away and go savage if she didn’t come back. But she really did need those girl things and he knew he wasn’t ready for contact with anyone but her. Hell, he wasn’t even ready to wear clothes, yet.

Usagi smiled in relief and idly traced his scars with her fingertips when he gave her a slow, heavy nod and kissed her forehead. “I’ll leave once you’re asleep, then. And I’ll be back in say… three hours at the _very_ most. But it likely won’t take me any longer than one, maybe two. You won’t even know I’m gone.”

 _Yes, I will,_ he thought soberly, knowing he’d feel it the moment her ki vanished from the small, green planet.

“You want or need anything while I’m shopping?” She asked curiously. “I can cook just about anything you want, Mako-chan taught me well. Or I can pick you up… I don’t know. Books, maybe? Do you have any hobbies besides training and tolerating my mouth?” She giggled.

Vegeta chuckled at that. He wasn’t used to being teased at all, but he had to admit that this woman, while annoying, was also very funny most of the time. But there was something she could pick up for him while she was out… if she could _find_ one, anyways.

When he signaled for something to write with, she produced a pen and paper and handed it over, surprised that she hadn’t thought of that as a form of communication during the last two weeks. “Huh, we’ll have to use that more often, big guy.”

Vegeta shrugged; every time he’d tried to get something across to her she’d understood it ninety-nine percent of the time, so writing it down had never even popped into his head. Finished with his note, he handed it over and hoped she could read in that language; even the Queen of the Stars couldn’t be expected to know _everything_.

“A book on katas…? Sure, but…” Usagi looked up at him seriously. “Wild man, I could have taught you just about anything you wanted to know. I have Haruka, Mako, and Rei’s starseeds. I know hundreds of different forms. I would have offered, but I didn’t want you to think that I thought you were lacking or anything,” she added quietly. “And I was hoping it would all come back to you naturally.”

He snatched back the paper and wrote hurriedly. “You’ll show me?”

“Duh. If it’s in my power I’ll do whatever you need me to, big guy. Name it.”

Vegeta smirked at that and hoped she remembered those words when he decided he was ready to mate with her.

“Any foods in particular?”

The prince blinked at that and rubbed his forehead at a brief flash of pain before writing. “Sushi rolls.”

“Oh hell, that’s easy! I’d expected something complicated since you’re a prince and all,” she giggled. “Tell you what, I’ll do the sushi, and I’ll pick up the ingredients for Mako-chan’s famous cheesecake. You’ll think you died and went to Heaven when you taste it. Anything else?”

Usagi waited for him to write again and when he handed her back the paper she smiled gently. **_Come back SAFE_**.

“I will, don’t worry about me. Remember, I’ve been—“ Usagi was cut off by his lips crashing into hers, his hands cupping either side of her face as he moved his mouth slowly against hers over and over, nipping at her lips with his teeth on occasion. It was only when she began to return it after several long stunned seconds that he slowly drew back, his eyes glittering with pure mischief. “Well… um… ok?” She asked weakly.

“You talk too damned much,” he wrote on a sheet of paper before smirking and handing it over. Maybe writing things down wasn’t such a bad idea, now he could be a smartass a little more often. It was fun annoying her, sometimes.

“Troll,” Usagi snorted, sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry his way as she climbed out of the warm little nest of blankets and headed for the bathroom. 


	6. Chapter 6

Finally, he was asleep! Usagi wondered if he’d been fighting sleep since he knew she’d be going out, but she was glad that she’d warned him in advance. If his reaction to being warned was bad, she would have hated to see his reaction to waking up and finding her gone without being previously informed.

“Alright,” she said quietly to herself once she was outside and had transformed into Cosmos. She felt the remainders of the goose egg healing as well as the bruises covering her side and back, and she sighed in relief.

Cosmos shielded the planet as she’d promised him that afternoon; no one was getting in her shields, and her healing prince would be perfectly safe until she returned. “Alright…” Concentrating on the nearest planet with sufficient technology, she teleported… and groaned when she realized where she was. “Damn it,” she sputtered, gazing down the beach to see people in the distance.

A black-sanded, sapphire-blue-water beach. “Well, this is going to be one hell of an encounter if I’m found by a certain sexy warrior,” she sighed. Detransforming into her mortal form, Usagi smoothed out her sundress and stuffed her shoes in her subspace so she could feel the wet sand squishing between her toes as she walked leisurely towards the people a couple miles away.

She felt a little safer once she reached the other beach-goers; it would be harder for Turles and Raditz to sense her ki among the throng of other people… at least she hoped so. She needed to find a general store, buy her small list of things, and teleport back as quickly as possible before her patient awoke and panicked because she wasn’t there.

Usagi sighed with relief when she spotted a store on the boardwalk and rushed inside as fast as possible without looking suspicious, grabbed her things, the ingredients for their meal, and set them on the counter so she could fish around in her subspace for her credits. Now she only needed to find a bookstore and she’d be done!

“And… that comes to fifty-seven—“

The shopkeeper was cut off by a slamming door, but before Usagi could even blink she was spun in place and was being kissed passionately by a set of lips she hadn’t felt in years but remembered all too well. The deep moan that came from the warrior kissing the ever-living shit out of her made her echo the sound, and she couldn’t help but melt into him as his calloused fingers threaded through her hair and his tail wound tightly around her upper thigh to pull her closer.

 ** _Hot damn!_** It was definitely a day for toe-curling kisses that caught her completely unawares! Someone should have marked her calendar to warn her in advance!

“Ahem… excuse me…?” The shopkeeper said a little loudly.

The moon princess looked up with half-lidded smoky eyes when he drew back, and she found a very familiar smile aimed at her. “I swear, Raddy… you haven’t lost your touch. I think my damned blood’s caught fire,” she sighed with pleasure.

“Good to hear, my angel,” he purred in reply before looking up at the clerk. “Just put her things on my account, Peasu. Now…” he began as he looked back down at her. “What exactly have you been up to? Turley wouldn’t tell me, and neither will the others.”

“No offense, Raditz, but if your own brother wouldn’t tell you, it might be wise for me not to tell you either. And what others?”

Raditz looked around the store and shot a look to the clerk, who nodded and waved his hand, giving him the go-ahead. “The other Saiyans,” he whispered, making the clerk blanch. Apparently he hadn’t expected Raditz to divulge _that_ information. “All of our people wound up here for the time being… at least until Broly can find a habitable planet that’s off the radar, anyway.”

“Broly’s here, too!?” She squeaked. “Holy shit, Raddy, take me to him! How are he and the others doing? Does anyone need healing? Does Broly need—“

“Just _who_ in the hell is she, Raditz? You shouldn’t be telling anyone but Saiyans these things; that’s why no one will tell you what happened with your brother,” The shopkeeper said heatedly. “She doesn’t even look _half_ Saiyan, so why are you telling her anything at all?”

“Transform, my angel,” Raditz purred, giving her earlobe a little flick of his tongue.

Usagi shrugged and smiled at the older Saiyan across the counter when his jaw dropped at the sight of the Queen of the Stars, and she quickly shifted back to avoid anyone walking in, seeing her, and making a fuss.

“I thought Turles was hallucinating or something at first,” Peasu whispered in awe. “Then Raditz and Broly and everyone else confirmed it… forgive me, Majesty, I meant no disrespect.”

“S’ok,” Usa said nonchalantly as she scooped up her purchases and shoved them in her subspace. “Now,” she told Raditz, “I’m in a huge hurry; I have a patient that will freak the fuck out if he finds me gone, but I needed some… stuff,” she said, the last word spoken with a light blush.

“Angel, I can smell it and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Raditz chuckled. “It’s the only reason I didn’t speed out of here with you over my shoulder so I could take you someplace private and seduce the living hell out of you.”

“ _Again_ ,” Usagi snorted in amusement.

“And again… and again… and again…” Raditz agreed, punctuating each statement with a brush of his lips over hers.

“Well, if Raditz was going to sleep with the same woman twice at any point in his life, it _would_ be the Queen of the Stars,” Peasu chuckled.

“I have high standards,” Raditz confirmed with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Ok, damn it. You two are making me turn shades of red no man has ever seen before. Let’s go if we’re going, Raddy. I meant it when I said I needed to hurry. If the big guy wakes up and I’m not there… and I _still_ need to hit a bookstore for him…”

Judging by her wide eyes as she slowly shook her head, her patient’s reaction would be on the epic scale of freak outs. “Alright, angel; should I just show you in your head like before?”

“Yup,” Usagi chuckled. “You don’t forget anything, do you?”

Raditz slowly raked his eyes up and down her body and smiled seductively. “Not a single thing, angel. Would you care to let me take an exam to confirm it?”

“Nope. No pelvic exams today, Raddy.”

“Maybe in a week?” He asked hopefully. “Or is the male I smell all over you there for a reason that’s not platonic?” He added with a hint of a jealous growl.

“Unlike you, Raditz, I don’t kiss and tell,” Usagi replied seriously, “and you’d do well to lose the tone. _You_ left fifty years ago, _not me_. If you wanted something more… then you should have stayed,” she added in a whisper, “so don’t start playing the jealous jilted lover. After all, I thought we were still friends.”

“Whoa, angel. Relax.” Raditz sighed then, running his hands through her hair and down her back soothingly. “I wasn’t aware that I’d hurt you. You were mad when I left?”

“Not **_mad_** … just…” Usagi shrugged a little and looked away. “I don’t know,” she huffed. “It was fifty years ago Raddy; I’m over it.” She managed a smile and gently shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. And I’m sorry that I got a little snappy with you. Time of the month and all, you know?”

“Come on, angel,” Raditz urged gently, taking her hand in his and leading her out the door. “We’ll walk and talk at the same time; it’s not very far from here.” Once out of the store, Raditz glanced down at her seriously from the corner of his eye. “You weren’t… you know? In love with me or anything, were you?” When she blushed and watched her moving feet he sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, angel. If I’d known I would have—“

“I wasn’t,” Usagi said honestly, cutting him off. “Sorry, I was thinking about the question, that’s all. I cared for you an awful lot—still do—but I wasn’t in love with you, Raditz. Promise. And you know I’m a shitty liar.” The look of naked relief in his eyes made her chuckle despite herself. “And if I had been?”

“I would have tried to make it work,” Raditz replied earnestly. “You’re one of the best things that ever happened to me and you know me better than my brother. If I were to ever settle down and take a mate, it would be you, Usa. Trust me, I’ve thought about it over the last few decades—taking a mate, that is—but every time I thought about it, you popped into my head. Eh… I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to settle down, though,” he admitted with a smile. “If you truly wanted to… I think I could be persuaded. But I really like being a bachelor.”

“Nice to know that no other woman’s ever measured up to me,” Usagi said with a hint of smug pride. She couldn’t help it; knowing that a man as experienced as Raditz was still carrying a bit of a torch for her boosted her ego a little, and she needed it after the last few harrowing weeks.

“And what about me?” Raditz asked with genuine curiosity.

“What other men?”

“Niiiice,” Raditz snickered. “That helps my ego quite a bit, angel. Thank you!” They walked in companionable silence for a mile down the boardwalk, both of them feeling a lot better after having talked, but Raditz finally broke the comfortable silence. “So… still friends, angel? I could never bear to know that I’ve upset you.”

“We’re good, honey.”

“So… without sounding like a jealous asshole, who’s this male patient of yours? He hasn’t tried to put the moves on you or anything, has he?”

“He’s someone important to Broly and the other Saiyans, but honestly? I don’t even know his name. He doesn’t talk, Raddy… he’s… he’s been tortured so badly that I’m honestly positive that he’ll never fully recover. It’s like… his spirit got shattered into a million pieces and he’s probably only going to be able to put the strongest ones back together.

“He’s terrified and suspicious of me as Cosmos so I have to stay in my mortal form. He’s alright with me like this, at least, and he’s beginning to trust me. And even though we’ve had a few moments where he’s accepted contact, he still outright avoids it most of the time. Except during my period,” she added quickly. “Actually… he’s been downright… I can’t even explain it, Raddy,” whispered in wonder. “He’s done a total one-eighty where his personality is concerned. Well, _almost_.”

“Protective, caring and downright bossy?” Raditz asked curiously.

“Yeah… pretty much.”

“He’s Saiyan, I take it. That’s normal… when a warrior’s interested in a female, he’ll act like that when she’s in pain. Just let him do his thing and submit to it; it’ll stroke his ego for him to think you depend on him for something, especially if he’s as broken as you say. He’s trying to feed you too, I guess?”

“Gods, yes. Especially after this morning,” she sighed.

“Dear gods… do I _want_ to know?”

“Eh… you’ll be upset, Rad. And you shouldn’t be. He has these flashbacks; he doesn’t remember much about his life before he was captured, and when he remembers a lot at once he gets these awful migraines and passes out. Well… I found him like that when I woke and his nose was bleeding—“

“I imagine that scared the hell out of you,” Raditz interjected.

“Yeah, it did. So I was trying not to panic and to wake him at the same time when he suddenly freaked and threw me across the room. I’m healed up,” she added quickly when Raditz froze, his hand tightening around her wrist as he growled savagely. “And he actually mouthed ‘sorry’ to me. He didn’t speak it aloud, but that’s _huge_ for him. Considering that he was tortured every time he said a word…”

“That _is_ pretty big,” Raditz allowed. “You sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. He fussed over me all damned day, too,” she said in a slightly annoyed tone. “It was sweet and all, but I **_can_** take a piss without assistance. I practically had to kick him out of the bathroom.”

“Sounds like his inner Saiyan has its sights set on you,” Raditz mumbled, unable to hide a touch of jealousy.

“Please don’t be like that, Raddy… because I have a personal question that might bother you.”

“Oh dear gods,” he snorted. “I don’t know if I want to know what it is. When **_you_** ask personal questions they tend to be bizarre as all hell.”

“Not this one, Raddy. It… it has to do with your purring. I noticed a change in the big guy’s this morning, and I **_swear to the gods_** , Raddy… I think he was going to kiss me. That particular purr, it sounded an awful lot like yours when… you know,” she mumbled, blushing to her toes.

“Like the very first time? Like this?” He asked, pulling her tightly to him to let her feel as well as hear his inner Saiyan purr for her.

“Yeah. Exactly like that one. I had always associated it with sex… it doesn’t sound like his normal comfortable purr, you know?”

“He wants you,” Raditz confirmed flatly. “We have a few different tones, pitches and rhythms for different moods and even different people. But **_that_** purr is only used when a Saiyan male is interested in mating.”

Usagi was the one to stop them on their short journey that time and she looked up at him fearfully. “Wait a damned minute, Raddy. **_Mating_** mating!? Or just sexy time mating? I’ve learned a bit about your people over the last fifty years, you know, and I know what it means for one of you to settle down.”

Shit, he didn’t mind lying, but not to her. _Never_ to her. “Look, angel… I think that _any_ Saiyan’s beast would purr like that for you. You’re quite the catch. And **_no_** , I’m not just tooting your horn, either. I considered biting you during our time together, but I’ll admit that it was only while I was taking you. The fact that your patient is doing it beforehand… it signals a _very_ real interest in you. So tread carefully, ok? And you’ll probably want to take a shower or something before you leave. If he smells me on you, he’ll be very, _very_ , **_very_** pissed off. He’ll get territorial as all hell and he’ll be up your ass so far that his tail will tickle the back of your throat.”

Raditz noted the hint of fear in her eyes and hugged her gently. “Don’t worry about it, angel. If he’s as focused on you as I think he is, he’d never hurt you. This morning was an exception and I’m sure he beat himself up pretty badly over it. A Saiyan cannot harm his mate.”

“Good to know at least,” Usagi sighed. “Anything else?” She asked as they began to walk once more.

“He’ll very likely make some sort of claim over you. If he says ‘mine,’ agree with him or you’ll be in for a pounding.” Raditz chuckled at that and shook his head. “It’s a domination thing for a Saiyan male; he won’t hurt you, but he’ll make you a little crazy unless you say ‘yours.’ Oh… and if he calls you ‘ _r’sha_ ’, it’s a done deal, Usa. **_No_** warrior says that to a woman that he isn’t planning on biting and bedding. It’s the closest that a lot of warriors will ever come to saying ‘I love you.’”

“Raddy, why don’t male Saiyans say ‘love?’” She wondered aloud. “I know you do, but you’re not exactly typical, either.”

“It’s just part of our culture,” he replied with a shrug. “If it is said, it’s only uttered in hushed tones when no one else is within earshot. We prefer to show our love rather than voice it. We can say it all day long, but speaking the word doesn’t prove a shitting thing. Too many races use the word so liberally that it’s practically meaningless. At least with a Saiyan, when and if he _does_ say it, you know damned well he fucking _means_ it.”

“Ah, I understand. That’s actually… kind of sweet,” Usagi admitted.

“For the record, Usagi, I’ve never actually said it to a woman. I’ve only said it in conversation, not actually directed at someone,” Raditz explained. “Here, this is the place,” he added quickly, eager to be done with a conversation about such an embarrassingly private word. “Go on in first, if anyone gives you trouble, transform.”

Usagi opened what could have only been a soundproof door, because she was immediately greeted with the ongoing screaming of a woman. She froze for only a moment before shifting straight to Cosmos—wings and all—and the moment she felt the woman’s pain and where it was located, she was darting around other Saiyans as fast as she could move in such a congested area.

“We’ll have to cut her!” someone yelled.

“NO!” Cosmos shouted, snatching a scalpel from a man’s hand. “Wait and let me try!”

Everyone in the room had frozen at the sight of her except for Raditz, who was shoving his way through the mass of bodies. The woman was still crying, but for the moment her attention was focused on Cosmos and not on the pain from her very swollen belly. “Relax,” Cosmos urged gently, kneeling at her side and smoothing back her hair with one hand, the other going to her abdomen. “The baby isn’t turned. Alright… we _are_ going to have to cut you, but I’ll take the pain, alright?”

“Thank you, Lady,” the woman sighed, visibly relaxing as she felt the oncoming contraction vanish.

“Angel?” Raditz asked hesitantly when Cosmos made a pained face, her eyes squinted shut and her mouth set in a hard line.

“Not right now, Raditz… it hurts… someone just cut her and be quick about it. I’ll be fine… dear **_gods_** … so _this_ is what labor feels like… I think I’ll pass on bearing children,” she joked lamely.

Raditz knelt at her side but when she told him not to touch her he pulled back a little; he knew better than to ignore an order from her when it was given in _that_ tone. “Angel… why are you feeling her pain? Can’t you just get rid of it?”

“This isn’t something I can just heal up, Raddy,” she gasped through another wave of agony. “But I can take it for her until the baby’s out, then I can heal her. I don’t want her to feel any of it… it’s better if she’s relaxed during the surgery, and it would be a bad idea to knock her out. So just go ahead and do it,” she barked at the Saiyan holding the scalpel, who was hesitating with it just over the pregnant woman’s belly.

“Thank you,” the woman whispered, giving Usagi’s free hand a squeeze.

“Welcome,” she panted in reply. “Just don’t move. Hold perfectly still for this part, honey.”

“Bite down,” Raditz ordered seriously, holding his hand up to Usagi’s mouth. “Do it, Celer!” He snapped at the physician. “And fucking hurry when you do!”

“Do as he says,” Broly calmly instructed as he joined them.

“Alright…”

Usagi bit down hard on Raditz’s hand and arched, her scream muffled as the cut came swiftly and she felt every bit of phantom hands parting flesh and moving within her. “HURRY!” Raditz snarled, using his unbloodied hand to wipe at the tears pouring down Cosmos’s face. “It’s ok, angel, he’s almost done. Just breathe… bite down as hard as you want… that’s it, beautiful… you’re doing good.”

Another scream ripped from her throat as she felt a second cut and the sensation of something being… pulled… from her body, and she slumped against Raditz even though her hand never left the woman’s stomach.

“You can heal her now,” a voice said, breaking through the haze of pain clouding her senses.

Raditz had to move her hand to the incision; she was so out of it that she couldn’t have done it herself. “That’s it, angel,” he whispered gently as the wound began to close.

Just as she finished healing the emergency cesarean, a new cry broke through, this one ridiculously high-pitched and young, and both Usagi and the young woman sighed with relief to hear it, the former of the two now cradled carefully in Raditz’s arms. “Thank the gods,” Usagi whispered. “She’s healthy? I sensed that it was a little girl.”

“Ten fingers, ten toes, one tail,” Celer replied, handing the infant over to the mother. “You should name her Cosmos,” he chuckled. “What do you think, Fasha?”

“Gods no,” Usagi interjected. “Give her a Saiyan name, please. I know the traditions among your people.” She detransformed and wearily sagged against the strong arms wrapped around her. “Wow… I’m going to think twice before I ever have a child.”

“You alright, Majesty?” Broly asked as he approached and looked her over. She was covered in blood almost to her elbows and had flecks of it all over her clothing, but other than the huge circles under her eyes she seemed fine.

“Just drained,” she assured him softly. “I haven’t had to take pain from someone like _that_ in a long time… and then healing an incision like that on top of it… I’ll be worn out for a few days, probably.”

“How’s the package you’re taking care of for us?” He inquired seriously, shooting Raditz a look to remind him not to ask a single thing. If anyone ever told the long-haired Saiyan what was going on, the entire damned galaxy would know it the next day, guaranteed.

“Physically, he’s fully healed. But Broly… it’s going to be awhile before he’s ready for contact with anyone but myself. It’s been nearly three weeks and he still has trust issues with me. It’s understandable, though. He’s still not talking at all, either. If you want, I’ll check in a few more weeks from now and give you an update.”

“Sounds good. Does he need anything? Clothes, perhaps?”

Usagi laughed at that and shook her head. “No, my wild man’s still running naked as the day he was born; I offered him clothes the first day and they’re still sitting where I left them on the counter. But he did want a book on different katas… I can teach him anything he’s forgotten, but I’m sure he’d be grateful for the book if you have anything like that.”

“Actually… I have just what you need and then some. Hang on,” Broly said, turning and leaving through a door in the back of the main common area.

“You alright to stand, angel?” Raditz asked gently, stroking his fingertips down her face.

“Dear gods, Raddy, I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, grabbing hold of the hand on her cheek and healing the dripping bite marks. “There, all better.”

“Eh, you know I’ve had worse. But thank you, angel,” he purred, pressing his lips to hers. Raditz grinned when he drew back to find her blushing and gave her a lecherous wink. “Hey, considering that I just watched you do something ridiculously stupid and selfless, I’m behaving awfully well for a Saiyan male.”

“Yeah, that you are… the big guy is gonna—oh, fuck me running,” she gasped. “Raddy, what time is it!? How long have I been here with you!?”

“Oh, I don’t know. About two hours, maybe, why?” He set her on her feet when she began to struggle and holler for Broly to hurry up, that she had to go and _fast_. “Where’s the fire, angel!?”

“I swore to him I’d be back in only two, maybe three hours at the very _most_! Oh gods, if I know him, he’ll have mentally reminded himself to wake and check that I was home after only two hours, and he’s going to be so _worried_! Or pissed as all hell,” she groaned.

Raditz bit back a sigh and didn’t know whether to be jealous as hell or happy for her. The way she spoke about her patient, he could tell she was developing feelings for him outside of just friendship… and Raditz hoped that his actions in the past hadn’t put her off on the idea of a relationship with a Saiyan male. Because it sure sounded like her patient had a major yen for her. “You got a piece of paper and something to write with, angel?”

“Yeah, but… why?” She asked as she produced the requested items and handed them over.

“I’m going to write your wild man a note, telling him what happened and not to freak out too badly.” Well, that was partly true; Raditz fully planned on saying a few more things to her mystery patient.

When Raditz finally gave her back the pen and paper she rolled her eyes at the sight of Saiyan glyphs. “I can’t read it.”

“Good,” he purred in her ear. “Just give it to him the moment you see him and tell him it’s an excuse note from your physician.”

“Ok, Doctor Love,” Usagi giggled through a yawn.

“Your doctor also recommends another appointment in a week’s time for a full pelvic exam, my angel. Would you like to schedule it now or later?” He chuckled.

“After all of this, Raddy, I’ll be lucky if the big guy lets me leave for months,” she sighed wearily. “He’s going to shove his foot up my ass for being this late.”

“Alright, Majesty, here you go,” Broly interrupted as he walked back in toting an armful of books. “You’re lucky you came here; you wouldn’t find books like this anywhere on this planet. I picked them up on the way here from my stash of personal effects; I’d hidden a bunch of stuff when I guessed that I was close to being tracked down and captured.”

“Thanks, Broly.” Usagi opened her subspace and directed Broly to just shove them in before she closed it and sagged against Raditz’s chest once more. “Ok, I’d better get moving. And Raddy… we’ve got to stop meeting like this. Both times we’ve crossed paths I’ve wound up covered in blood,” she snorted in amusement. “Then again, that could just be Saiyans in general,” she added with a giggle.

“Yeah, we tend to go hand in hand with bloodshed, angel.” Raditz sighed at the thought of letting her leave before tipping up her chin and laying a long, slow and thorough kiss on her lips, but pulled back when he felt everyone’s eyes on him. “Oh, come on!” He laughed at the crowd. “You’d begrudge me a kiss from the most gorgeous creature in the universe!?”

“Only you, Raditz,” a woman in the crowd laughed.

Blushing to her toes, Usagi transformed and slid out of his arms. “I’ll be in touch when the big guy’s feeling better, Broly.”

“We’ll still be here,” he assured her.

####################

Vegeta jumped out of his nest the moment Cosmos appeared in the center of the room, and he pinned her on her back without a moment’s hesitation, his nose touching hers as he snarled loudly.

Usagi sighed and her hair and eyes melted back to gold and blue. “Here,” she offered, shifting her right wrist a little as she offered up the note between her thumb and forefinger. “A note from my doctor,” she yawned sleepily. “And either you let me up or I pass out right here, big guy. I’m exhausted.”

It was only then that Vegeta managed to fight his inner Saiyan well enough to consciously smell the blood all over her and… was that… **_Another!? Male!?_**

“Nice hair,” Usagi said with a little smirk despite her fatigue.

At the thought of another male, he’d immediately erupted into golden ki flames, his hair going blonde and his eyes blue… and he’d gone straight to level two in his fury. “Just read the note,” she sighed. “Raditz said that he explained everything so I wouldn’t have to— what? You know that name?”

Vegeta blinked and sat up, releasing her arms as he rubbed at his forehead, then the bridge of his nose, and slowly nodded… then shook his head. Yes, he knew Raditz… but from where… Vegeta hurriedly snatched the note from her outstretched fingertips and blinked at the sight of… _I know this language. It’s not Saiyan, but…_ He then clutched at his forehead and gasped raggedly at the pain as a memory flooded him hard and fast.

################

_“ **Why** do I have to learn this again!?”_

_“Shut up and just study it, Raditz,” Vegeta barked impatiently. “It’s based off of High Saiyan, so how damned hard can it be, even for you! Bardock was one of the smartest warriors on our planet; surely **some** of that intelligence rubbed off on you?”_

_“That’s **Turles**! Not me!” Raditz whined, thunking his head down on the notebook in front of him. “If you wanted me to learn a book full of new sex positions or tutor you in wooing the ladies, I could do that! But not this!”_

_“Just learn it,” Vegeta sighed, trying earnestly not to laugh at his comrade’s words. “If we want to pass messages along that Frieza can’t decode, this is the way we’ll do it. He doesn’t read or speak High Saiyan, but it’s safe to assume that he’ll learn it just in case. And he already can speak our Ki language.”_

_“Ugh… **fine**! You owe me a week of shore leave for this, though… after this much studying I should be rewarded with pussy.”_

_################_

Vegeta opened his eyes to find a dozing Usagi kneeling over him, flooding him with her light; her hair was nearly completely silver but the streaks of gold throughout kept him from losing his cool… that and the fact that the circles under her eyes were ridiculously huge and she was still covered in blood. _That’s Raditz’s handprint,_ he realized as he looked at her face and saw the giant bloody mark. There didn’t seem to be any bruising there, though, so she hadn’t been struck.  There was blood on her mouth too, just a few spots of it smeared on her lips, and before Vegeta could stop himself he was leaning up to get a taste of it.

Usagi snapped awake, blushing at the knowledge that she’d fallen asleep sitting up like that, and turning even redder at the sensation of her patient’s tongue flicking out briefly over her lower lip. “Big guy! What the hell!?”

Vegeta drew back and grimaced at the taste of a male’s blood in his mouth; he’d thought it had been hers and his beast had totally overridden his control, desiring nothing more than to taste her blood in his mouth. Without so much as a grunt he stood and scooped her up bridal style to haul her into the bathroom and shred her sundress and underwear, throwing the remains of clothing in the trash while she sputtered and weakly protested the action.

He merely grunted at her before picking her up once more to sit her in the huge circular bathtub and cutting on the water.

Usagi’s eyes went wide when he climbed in with her and settled in right behind her, jerking her possessively back against his chest with a dark, rolling purr. “Just what the fuck are you doing!?” She squeaked out in a mix of surprise and fear.

                She gasped when he nipped at her shoulder with his super-sharp Saiyan canines, shivering in a combination of pleasure and that rising uneasiness about this whole situation. “Big guy?” She whimpered.

                “Shhh,” he ordered gently, scooping up a washcloth to begin washing the blood from her hands and arms while the tub filled with steaming water. Vegeta took a moment to cut it off once the tub was full and once more focused on the blood caked on her hands, paying careful attention to each digit as he slowly stroked the cloth up and down and removed it to reveal pale, pink skin.

                “There, my hands are clean,” Usagi mumbled. “Can you please get out of the tub now and—what the hell!?” She yelped as he lifted her by the waist and turned her to face him. She turned as red as the blood on her face when he pulled her so close that she was straddling him, but when she tried to escape his purr only intensified and he closed his teeth over her shoulder, hanging on with them but not breaking the skin. It was clearly a bit of dominant posturing to scare her into holding still, and Usagi trembled and went limp in reaction despite the feeling of his groin brushing over hers.

                Even if he wasn’t aroused, the position was intimidating to say the least.

                “Shhh,” he ordered again, raising the cloth in his hand to wipe at the blood on her mouth and cheek.

                “Oh… sorry. I hadn’t realized that I had—“

                “Shh.” This time the command was coupled with a chuckle and a brush of his lips to her freshly washed jaw. Vegeta held her still when he finished washing her face and she tried to move away, and pulled her flush against his chest when she struggled a little.

                Another gentle nip to the skin of her shoulder stilled her, but Usagi trembled at the sensation of his slick, bare skin sliding over hers in the water as she settled onto his lap. “Big guy… I… I don’t know what you’re trying to prove… but I’m still bleeding and frankly, you’re scaring me a little.”

                Scared!? Of him? But he’d never hurt her… surely she knew that, right? Then he remembered that morning and trembled a little at the knowledge that he’d struck her, even if it had been accidental, and he nuzzled her throat apologetically before kissing it tenderly.

                Usagi sighed with relief when he released her, quickly glancing down to confirm that he wasn’t aroused and expecting anything from her. “I’m sorry I was late… did you read the note?”

                Vegeta blinked and shook his head, glancing to the counter where he’d set it before he’d placed her in the tub. “What happened?” He mouthed silently.

                “I picked up supplies and ran into Raditz, and he took me to see Broly and the other Saiyans that escaped from the prison ship you were on. In short, there was a woman in labor and the baby hadn’t turned so… I just did what I do,” she finished lamely. “She and the little girl are alright, though, so it was worth taking her pain.”

                Usagi saw Vegeta visibly stiffen at the end of that last sentence and gave another little half-hearted shrug. “I’m fine… just very, very worn out. It hurt a lot when I felt the cuts, you know? I haven’t felt pain like that except when I was taking yours. Though I have to say that yours was a lot worse,” she admitted sullenly. “That’s why I was so tired when you— what?” She watched him make a series of quick gestures once more and shrugged. “Yeah, of course I took your pain, big guy. I wanted you to stay under, so I took it while I did a lot of the healing.”

                She was too surprised to protest when he suddenly pulled her back into his arms and his mouth slanted over hers, moving slowly and gently as he kissed and nipped and licked at her lips for several minutes. Usagi was simply too stunned and exhausted to respond to it other than to give a soft moan as his fingers began to trace delicious little patterns against her skin beneath the water. “One hell of a thank you kiss,” she whimpered when he slowly drew away to run his lips down her throat. “Still bleeding,” she reminded him weakly.

                Vegeta merely nodded and relished her gasp of pleasure as he bit down on her shoulder just enough to leave a minor bruise while his purr hitched and shifted to a rich, deep sound of desire.

                Just as she began to melt against him and was seriously thinking about asking him to take her to bed—bleeding be damned, some women could and did have sex on her period, Usagi just really preferred not to—he scooped her out of the tub, dried them both with his ki, and had her nestled into his blankets and wrapped in that fur he liked. “Need drawers and a pad,” she whispered sleepily, suddenly unable to keep her eyes open.

So much for offering period sex, unless he was into some sort of Sleeping Beauty kink.

                Vegeta chuckled when she dozed off as soon as she pulled them from her subspace, and he fiddled with the packaging on the pad for a full minute before he figured it out and lined her underwear with the thing that was inside. Once he had the garment in place, he curled up behind her and smirked at the scent of her lingering, light arousal.

                So, she was attracted to him, that was good. Because he would be pouncing in three days’ time, just as soon as she was done with that infernal bleeding.


	7. Chapter 7

_Dear friend,_

_Usagi says you’re Saiyan, so I’m sure you know who I am and I’m sure she’s told you the note was from me. Don’t get too mad at her, my angel has a tendency to think with her heart before her head and puts everyone else’s wellbeing ahead of her own. In short, she saved the lives of a woman and most likely her child as well; she took Fasha’s pain while they cut her to remove the brat from her womb. That explains the blood, at least._

_As for my scent covering just about every inch of her… I’m not a threat to you if you have your sights set on claiming her. I’d kill for the chance to go back fifty years and do it all over again, but don’t you dare tell her that. She thinks that I’m fine the way I am, but the truth is that I’ll love that woman for the rest of my life. But I missed my chance with her and she clearly has a thing for you, even if she won’t put it into words. Judging from what she’s told me about you, I’m positive you have every intention of taking her._

_I say go for it. Usagi deserves happiness more than anyone else I know, and if you’re the one to give it to her, then so be it. If not, I’ll take another shot when the right time and place presents itself. Just know this… if you ever hurt my angel, I will break your cock into a million little pieces and shove them down your throat._

_Now… you probably already know all of this, but she loves chocolate, backrubs, kissing and being held. She also loves to talk, but I think you know that. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but that woman would be happier than a Namek with a dick if you gave her a couple words. She also hates being bored and loves feeling like she has a purpose. So use all of that to your advantage and good luck._

_Raditz, House of Bardock_

Vegeta sighed and folded the letter back up as he placed it under his pillow. Of course Raditz would be smitten with her, _any_ man would. Any man that wouldn’t be… simply didn’t like women. He sighed as he turned his head to look at the sleeping blonde curled up next to him and purred in actual contentment.

It wasn’t like he’d gotten laid the night before or anything, but for the first time over in a hundred years… he felt _normal_. Like he actually had something to look forward to that day, that nothing bad would happen to him, that he was really and truly free to pursue and control his own destiny.

“Mmm… morning, big guy. You ever realize that you purr really soft first thing in the morning, usually when you think I’m sleeping?”

 _Because I’m happy to actually think without your incessant yammering,_ he thought with a wry smirk.

“Smartass,” Usagi snorted, judging just from his facial expression what he was thinking about. “If I interrupt your thought process so badly, then I’ll just shut up.”

Vegeta barked out a long, shuddering laugh at that and buried his face in his pillow, shaking his head back and forth as he cackled in amusement. _I’ll bet good fucking money you can’t shut up for five minutes, woman!_

“Har. Har. Har.” Usagi rolled her eyes and slid out of the warm fur he’d wrapped her in, noting that he’d given her his favorite coverlet yet again. Well, that eased a good bit of her annoyance with him as she limped to the bathroom and did her business while she… had he put a pad and underwear on her!? “Oh my God,” she groaned in embarrassment as she recalled the events of the night before.

She’d almost—they’d almost—Usagi couldn’t believe her own lack of self-control… gods, he’d been raped for decades and she’d **_nearly…!_** “Big guy… I am **_so_** sorry,” she whispered in complete and total shame when she heard him outside of the door. “Please forgive me if I acted… in any way that might have… _upset_ you. There’s no excuse for it, but being around Raditz last night sort of brought up old memories and that man is sex on a stick as it is. Being around him got me sort of hot and bothered and I didn’t mean to—“

The door opened then and Vegeta merely smirked down at her, shaking his head twice before putting a finger to his lips. “Yeah, yeah… shutting up,” she sighed, standing and pulling up her underwear. “Thanks,” she added gently, standing on her tiptoes to peck him on the lips. Usagi gasped in surprise when he cupped her face and returned it with a simple warm pressing of his lips to hers, and she blushed as she pulled away and immediately drew a sundress from her subspace. “There,” she chuckled, trying for a bit of nervous levity as she tugged it over her head. “I think one of us running around here naked is more than enough bare flesh for the both of us.”

Vegeta chuckled and nodded at that in agreement; he could smell a hint of arousal coming from her as she made her way into the kitchen and began pulling stuff from her subspace; it was clear after a moment that she was preparing fresh food for them to eat. So she hadn’t forgotten! He was going to get sushi rolls for lunch!

“Keep hovering and you won’t get a thing to eat,” Usagi chuckled, sensing him looking over her shoulder. She stopped and washed her hands before turning and grinning as she pulled some more stuff from her subspace. “From Broly,” she told him gently when he gawked at the pile of books in her arms.

Vegeta took them so reverently that he nearly dropped them all on the tile, but he quickly regained his grip on them and looked down at them in awe. The top one was a manual on ki techniques, something he remembered reading before—well, he recalled that he had read it, but he didn’t remember exactly _what_ he’d read in it. “Don’t look so overwhelmed,” Usagi advised gently, brushing the back of her hand down his jaw. “Go ahead and read for a while, I’ll bring lunch when it’s ready, ok honey?”

Vegeta managed the barest of nods as he walked back over and curled up in his nest, worshipfully cracking open the book on top to find a handwriting he recognized on the inside cover.

_Prince Vegeta,_

_I hope I find you well. Usagi informs me that you’re healed physically but still require much time before you’re ready to retake your place among us as our leader. I didn’t tell the Queen of the Stars, but I thought that you should know… Arctic survived the uprising onboard his flagship and managed to make his escape. Knowing Usagi, you’re perfectly safe from him, but keep your guard up if you decide to leave her care._

_I hope you decide **not** to leave her care; that frankly, you decide to make her your queen. No woman deserves it more; she has done our race a great service on more than one occasion according to Raditz. We owe her far more than mere title and worship, but it would be a good start. And seriously? Think of the sheer power your brats would possess! The Ice-jins might just tremble at the thought of our people once more!_

Vegeta chuckled at that; once he was fully recovered, the Ice-jins would fucking tremble just at the thought of _him_!

_That aside, I believe it would be a good match for you, and you know I’m never wrong about that sort of thing. Take your time and think it over, I know you have far more important things ahead of you than taking a mate, I just thought it was something you should consider in the future._

_If you need anything else, simply inform Her Majesty and have her come to me to get it. Clothes would be a good start, Vegeta. While I’m positive she’s enjoying the view, I remember the sight of you in the showers after sparring, and I know the prospect of taking you to bed is probably daunting as hell for someone her size. I suppose she should be glad that she never met Nappa!_

_Broly, House of Paragus_

Vegeta cackled like a hyena at the last line and shook his head vigorously, laughing so hard that he actually fell over in a heap on top of his bedding. Nappa he _did_ remember with only a little pain, and he knew damned well that many women had run screaming the moment they’d seen that monster of a Saiyan’s cock. The very second it was unleashed, the most experienced of whores would usually refund his money with a shake of their heads and apologize, saying that they had no plans on dying by way of impalement.

“Must be a good book,” Usagi giggled from the counter without even looking. She beamed at the sound of him laughing; it was a deep rolling sound that echoed throughout the house, and if _that_ sounded sexy to her ears, she’d hate to hear his speaking voice. Dear gods, she’d likely melt into a puddle of goo the moment she heard him say her name. _Damn it, Usa, stop thinking those things! He’s likely not interested in you like that; you didn’t even feel his cock twitch while you were straddling him! If that’s not an indicator of a lack of arousal, then I don’t know what is!_

Then again, there had been that deep, arousing rumble of a purr, the second time she’d heard it too… maybe he just had better control over his body’s reaction to her than she gave him credit for. She sighed as she shoved the oven shut with her foot, washed her hands again, and returned to the sushi since the rice for it was ready. Thank the gods that her subspace acted as some sort of stasis for anything put in it; the fish had stayed cold and fresh while it had been in there.

Vegeta had his nose buried deeply in his book when she finally brought over the large tray of sushi rolls and bowls of rice. She even had some soy sauce and wasabi that had been in her subspace, but she stopped in shock and amazement when he automatically took a pair of chopsticks from the tray without even looking up from his book and used them as if he’d been doing it for years. “You ever been to Earth?” She asked curiously.

Nah, that was impossible. Earth had been destroyed by her and Chaos’s battle nearly two thousand years ago. Maybe his people happened to use a very similar eating utensil?

The Saiyan prince merely shrugged a little as he popped his first piece of food in his mouth, and his eyes fluttered shut and he groaned with pleasure as he slowly chewed and savored it.

“Glad it meets your approval, Highness.”

Vegeta smirked at her teasing and gave her a little wink as he picked up the cup on the tray and drank… only to sputter a little before swallowing. _Is that sake!?_

“Don’t tell me you know how to use chopsticks but you’ve never drank sake before,” she snorted. “Oh, you just didn’t expect it, sorry,” Usagi giggled after a moment. “Sorry, I should have warned you. I just thought it was a special occasion, being your first homemade meal and all. Hell, it’s my first homemade meal in like, fifty-some-odd years.”

Vegeta shook his head and held his cup up, waiting patiently for her to understand his meaning. After all, it was a special occasion. It took Usagi a moment, but she raised hers as well and smiled at him gently. “Kanpai.”

He grunted in reply and gave her a solemn nod before they both drank deeply, then grunted his thanks once more when she refilled their cups from the bottle on the tray. “So, what’s in those books? Just katas and stuff? I’m hurting but maybe the sunshine outside and the exercise would help loosen up the cramps if you’d like me to fill in the blanks for those katas you’ve been performing.”

Vegeta nodded vigorously, more than happy to have someone actually show him. The books were great, but hands-on training was always better. They ate in companionable silence for a little while, Vegeta noting wryly that Usagi’s mouth was only closed when something was in it… which led to another trollish thought that he actually wished he could voice. _Is she this quiet when she’s got something else in her mouth?_ He snickered mentally. He knew he’d get slapped for such a comment, but seeing the look on her face would be totally worth it!

Then again, if he voiced it, she’d start yelling at him, which would mean an end to the silence… he actually snickered out loud at that thought and shook his head in a “never mind” gesture when Usagi looked up at him, mouth half open to ask what was up. Gods no… if she did speak just then he would totally lose it and wind up laughing himself silly!

“You know,” Usagi mumbled around her sushi—

_Good job, Vegeta… you jinxed it._

“—this is the first time I’ve ever seen you using a utensil for eating, big guy.”

Huh, she was right. Vegeta blinked and looked down at the chopsticks positioned in his fingers, grasping a sushi roll as if it was all second nature to him, and he finally just shrugged a little. He had no clue where that skill had come from or why he hadn’t attempted to use a fork, spoon or knife since he’d been rescued.

Usagi just shrugged as well, watching his expressions out of the corner of her eye, and when he glanced at her and subtly grinned, she snorted and rolled her eyes. “Keep thinking things like that and I swear I’ll take two of those pain pills just to spite you.” She knew she’d been right when he gaped at her momentarily then burst into a fit of chuckles; yup, he’d been basking in the silence and praying she wouldn’t speak! “Prince of the Saiyans my ass. More like Prince of the Trolls.”

When he motioned like he was wearing a tall crown and grinned at her, she giggled and nodded. “Fine, fine! You’re right! King of the Trolls it is!”

They were both quiet after that for a little longer as they scarfed down the remains of lunch, and Usagi got up and pulled a dish from the oven when she put the other dishes in the sink. “Cheesecake to go with supper,” she explained before sticking it in the fridge. “Now… you wanna go outside?”

She smiled when he nodded and gestured for her to lead the way, and once outside she thought for a moment before going right into the very first kata she’d seen him try to perform.

Rather than join in, Vegeta merely stood there and assessed her good form and her grace as she went through the moves with her eyes closed and her nose in the air a little as if she was scenting for an enemy. Her punches were smooth and her kicks were downright beautiful, and the Prince of all Saiyans relaxed and simply enjoyed the sight without really paying a lot of attention to the lesson.

Usagi finally stopped and opened her eyes to blush at the sight of him watching her with such intensity that it was beyond flattering. “Again? Or would you like to join?” She shrugged and nodded and closed her eyes once more when he made a twirling motion with his fingers, signaling for her to continue.

She hesitated only for a brief moment halfway through the exercise when she smelled a fire on a cold night standing right next to her, but continued when she felt the air next to her begin to move in tandem with her own motions. She only opened her eyes after a few more moves and smiled at the sight of her wild man moving with a grace that far surpassed her own, his face completely focused and relaxed as he went through the motions of the kata. _He’s so beautiful when he moves,_ she whispered to herself.

It was only a moment later when his lips twitched up in a smirk that she realized she’d said that out loud. “Well, you are,” she mumbled as she stuttered a move and blushed in embarrassment.

Pleased that he could make her falter her stance, Vegeta placed a hand on her back to right her form and smiled smugly when she had a hard time getting back into the movements. He chuckled at the end of the kata and gestured into the air. “No, I can’t fly,” she admitted a little shyly. “Only as Cosmos, sorry.”

Usagi blinked in total surprise when he suddenly transformed into his blonde power-up and signaled for her to power up as well. “Are… are you sure, big guy?” He seemed to consider it for a long minute but finally grunted and nodded, pointing into the air once more. “You know… once we get you talking, maybe you can explain to me how in the hell to use ki? I’ve always wanted to learn but… well, Raditz is easily distracted, and I’d feel like I was imposing by randomly popping up and asking Turles or Broly.”

She stepped forward and hugged him when he nodded sharply. “Thanks, big guy!” Usagi then stepped back and shifted to Cosmos and smiled broadly. “So… we’ll do the katas in the air, then?”

Vegeta shook his head and grinned savagely; he had something much, much better in mind. Shooting into the air, he waited for her patiently and jumped when she suddenly appeared right in front of him, followed by a rub to his forehead when it ached.

_“Damn it, Kakarot! How many times have I fucking told you not to just pop in! Especially when you sense my ki in my bedroom!”_

_“Damn it, Goku! GET OUT! I’m naked!” Bulma shrieked at her best friend._

_“Sorry!” The taller Saiyan laughed before blinking out of sight._

Vegeta opened his eyes to find Cosmos holding him upright, a concerned expression on her face. “Fine,” he mouthed, drawing swiftly out of her arms. Contact with Usagi he could tolerate—even enjoy— but not with this silver woman. She seemed too cold, too distant compared to the little golden goddess that was her other form. And the eyes weren’t the right color, either.

“Sorry, just didn’t want you to fall,” she whispered, more than a little hurt at his rejection.

The prince sighed and tried his hardest to reach out and give her a comforting touch, but he just couldn’t force himself to do so. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all. He’d wind up hitting her for real and actually hurting her if things got out of hand while she was Cosmos.

Usagi was sinking back to the ground, but for other reasons, and she detransformed the moment her feet were on the ground and strode inside, only to be spun and jerked into a pair ridiculously muscular arms the moment she made for the couch.

Vegeta sighed in relief when he felt her relax against him, clearly fighting the urge to cry as he purred gently in comfort to her. “I know you didn’t mean it that way,” she whispered into his bare chest, “I know you’re making great progress, big guy. And I’m sorry I reacted like that.”

He huffed in utter disbelief; she wasn’t upset with _him_!? She was upset with _herself_ and that’s why she’d left!? “I shouldn’t have pushed you to accept me as Cosmos just yet, honey. I’m sorry for that, I should have just sat on the ground and watched you like always.”

Usagi started when she suddenly felt his mouth moving against hers, but when he pulled away and made a shushing noise, she knew everything was alright between them. “How about we just work on the ground?” She suggested.

#########################

Naked but for her underwear, Usagi sighed comfortably, eyes closed against the young blue sunlight above her.  “Feels so good,” she chortled. “This was a great idea, big guy.”

Vegeta grunted absently and simply enjoyed the warmth baking into his weary, newly-healed muscles; they’d only been doing katas for three hours without a break, followed by a brief sparring match. His lips twitched up in a ghost of a smile at that thought; Usagi had been surprisingly adept at dodging and countering his attacks, but he’d won in the end despite the fact that they’d only been using muscle and temper against one another.

If she hadn’t been cramping, though… Vegeta suspected she would have given him more of a run for his money than she had. Well… that and the fact that he could sense her pulling her punches and obviously making every attempt not to harm him. He appreciated that gesture, but a spar was a spar; one hundred years in captivity would never change that fact. People got bruised when sparring and it was just a fact of life.

Hell, even Usagi had a couple to show for her efforts, but like her, Vegeta had pulled his punches, too. She didn’t need to know that, though.

 “You know… I created a hot spring on this planet, too. Maybe we should go soak for a while. Gods, that would feel so good after all that exercise.” Usagi laughed when he gave her a disgusted look, and she shook her head as she giggled. “I’ll wear a tampon! I won’t get any blood in the water! Besides, I was bleeding a little in the tub last night, you big goof. And yes, I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your face!” She teased. “Hang on, I’ll go plug up my vuh-jay-jay and then we can go for a nice warm swim.”

Before he could refuse or agree, Usagi was going back into the house, and she returned wearing a two-piece swim suit. “I’m assuming you’re going commando as always, sexy man?”

If commando meant naked, yes. He was comfortable in his skin, damn it, and he was having a hard time not stripping her down just to convince himself that she wasn’t concealing any weapons. Vegeta mentally sighed and reminded himself for the millionth time that all of her weapons were in her subspace and not on her person, and that she had done more than enough to prove that she’d never harm him.

“Well, then I’ll just continue to enjoy the view,” she giggled with a quick glance behind her to appreciate all of those lovely, tanned muscles… and what was so obviously male swaying a little as he followed her. “What?” She snorted when he growled a little her way, “if you’re going to walk around bare-ass naked, don’t get all pissy when I check you out. I _like_ men, and you’re a very good-looking man, big guy. Nothing wrong with appreciating a little eye candy… and if you’re going to act all embarrassed about it, put some clothes on,” she finished with a snicker.

She heard him grumbling wordlessly to himself as they walked on through the trees, and finally she chortled with happiness when they reached the spring. She immediately climbed in and sighed as the heat seeped into her cramped muscles, melting her into utter relaxation. “Now this, I could get used to. I guess this is really like a weird vacation of sorts,” she mused, resting her head back on the grass. “I haven’t just relaxed in… gods, I don’t even know how long. Five hundred years? Not for this long, anyway. It’s been a decade since I’ve stayed in this form for longer than a day. Big guy… how long?” She asked, suddenly serious. “How long did those bastards have you?”

She sighed heavily when she opened her eyes to find him glaring daggers at her. “I meant no offense. I just… I’m curious about you, and I’ve avoided asking questions until now, haven’t I? Hell, I don’t even know your name and I haven’t demanded a single thing from you. Except that you not piss on the doorstep, anyway,” she added with a tiny smile.

He sighed and stopped giving her the look of death before nodding and holding up one finger, followed by the making of two zeros with his hands, and confirmed her shocked expression with a nod.

“You’re very… wow. You’re something else, not to have lost your mind or…” Usagi shook her head sadly and worried her lower lip with her teeth. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I was in this dimension about seventy-five years ago, then again fifty years ago when I saved Raditz. Maybe… maybe if I’d been paying better attention, I would have felt your pain then and…” She was cut off by a grunt, and found him shaking his head dismissively when she looked up. “I know it’s not my fault, but still. Things might have been different for you. Easier to handle. No one deserves what you went through, big guy. No one. I’m sorry.”

Vegeta merely grunted and shook his head before resting back on the grass and enjoying the warmth of the spring. He had to admit that it was nice, insanely nice, just to be relaxing in the warmth for a little while.

He swallowed after a little while and nearly spoke when he sensed how tense and deep in thought she was. The damn woman actually cared. Sure, he knew that, but the novelty of someone actually giving a shit about him hadn’t worn off. But he couldn’t speak, no matter how hard he tried, couldn’t try to communicate the fact that he’d become what he currently was after about ten years of being in that hell hole. That was when he’d started blocking out memories; they’d hurt too much, knowing that he had people and family that he cared about, people he would never see again. It had just hurt too much.

Twenty-five years or one hundred years. It wouldn’t have mattered. He would have endured less pain, yes, but he’d already become what he was by then either way. And she hadn’t known. It wasn’t her fault.

“Did you…?” Usagi closed her mouth and sighed. “Sorry, I’m really not trying to pry, wild man.”

Vegeta shrugged and sighed, and made a signal with his hand that indicated she should just ask whatever was on her mind. “Did you have any family? I know you have a child already.”

He nodded slowly before holding his hand out low in height to indicate his son, and then used his hands to make a curvy shape in the air.

“Oh? You had a wife?” Usagi asked curiously, squashing down an unexpected little wave of jealousy. _Like he can help the fact that he has a wife, Usa! Gods, be a little more understanding!_ “Well—then shouldn’t we—I mean, do you know what planet we should head for? I should take you to her, big guy. Maybe it’ll help jog your memory.” When he shook his head and tapped his temple, she sighed and nodded. He didn’t remember the planet, and likely didn’t remember enough about his wife and son, either. It would only be more stress on an already over-taxed man. “We’ll stay, then. You seem to be settling in here… in a way, anyway. It wouldn’t be the greatest idea to make you change scenery so soon.”

Usagi blinked when he grunted and pointed at her. “Yeah, of course I’ll stay, big guy. I’m not going anywhere.” She gave him a reassuring smile when he visibly relaxed and nodded, closing his eyes and laying his head back to just enjoy the hot spring.

###################

The walk back from the spring was slow, almost leisurely, and when he noticed her limping again he stopped near the house and motioned for her to lie down and they enjoyed the rays of the sun for another hour, letting it dry and warm them.

Vegeta grunted when he noted that her skin was growing pink, but when she didn’t respond he realized she’d dozed off.

Usagi woke when she felt her arm being steadily poked, and smiled at him sleepily through half-lidded eyes. “Sorry, I was so comfortable.” Her eyes opened a little wider when he suddenly grabbed his forehead, and she immediately kept him from falling over, holding him tightly to her as he went limp. “Big guy? Big guy!?”

###################

_“You’re so comfortable. Like a giant, muscular pillow.”_

_Vegeta chuckled at that and pulled his woman closer, running a hand down her creamy, bare flank. “Only for you, woman.”_

_“Better be only for me,” she half-teased, thumping him lightly on the arm. “As sexy as you are, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve got some sort of royal harem hidden away.” She shivered when he rolled on top of her swiftly and bit down lightly on the still-bleeding mark on her shoulder, evidence of their recent lovemaking. He had one to match on the opposite shoulder, and he trembled a bit when she reached up to trace it._

_“You’re mine, woman. How many times do I have to tell you that?”_

_“But you’re not mine. I’m yours. You’ve told me that, too,” she countered a little hotly._

_“Bulma,” he groaned, sagging against her a little. Damn it, not this argument again. “It’s the usage in the Saiyan language, nothing more.”_

_“Then tell me that you’re mine, too. Just once. I’ll never ask you to say it again.”_

_“But that means—that makes me—“_

_“You’re not a woman, Vegeta,” she snorted, looking pointedly down between his legs. “And saying it in my language holds no bearing over your gender. I… I just want to hear it. That’s all. Just once.”_

_“Just once,” he said hoarsely, licking his lips, which he bent to her throat when she nodded seriously. Vegeta groaned a little when she lifted her hips, offering herself to him, and he took her in one slow motion, both of them moaning softly._

_“Kami, I love you, Vegeta…”_

_In for a penny, in for a pound. He’d never said the ‘L’ word before either, but he knew that she needed to hear it as well. Just once. “You’re mine,” he whispered, flexing his hips gently as she clung to him and whimpered with pleasure. “And I’m yours, Bulma… forever… I love you, my mate. My_ r’sha _…”_

#####################

“Hey,” Usagi whispered gently, stroking her fingers through his hair. “It’s ok,” she assured him when he looked around a little wildly at the change in his surroundings. “You’ve been out for a couple hours, big guy. I shifted back to Cosmos and brought you inside… you scared me for a little while.” The princess was only scared further when he looked around again, wide-eyed and terrified, and suddenly burst into tears.

“Oh dear gods,” she whispered in horror, immediately drawing him tightly into her arms. “Shh… it’s ok, big guy. Shh… please don’t cry, honey. It’s alright, you’re safe. Nothing’s going to hurt you, I swear it. And if anyone tries… I’ll rip their fucking throats out,” she added softly.

He only continued to cry into her chest, shaking violently with each wracking sob, and at a loss for what to do, Usagi only continued to hold him, running her fingers through his hair and down his back, whispering soothing words to him whenever his weeping grew too violent.

 Holy shit, it was a little scary, and she couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell he’d remembered that would cause such a reaction. He’d been moaning in his sleep, and for a moment she’d thought—with a touch of amusement—that he’d been dreaming about getting laid.

Maybe he had been. Maybe he’d been dreaming about someone he’d loved, only to wake and find them gone… Usagi knew all too well about dreams like that, she’d woken in tears on more than one occasion when she’d dreamed about her Senshi, so—

Her thoughts were cut off when he laid back down, taking her with him, and she relaxed when he only held her close and continued to cry softly. And when she shifted a little he bunched his fists in her nightgown and shook his head vigorously, she pressed against him tightly and made soothing noises. “Yes, I’ll stay, big guy. I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” she said gently, drawing his covers up around both of them as she pressed her lips to his forehead. “Let it out, and then I’ll use a little power to make you sleep, ok?”

The prince nodded slightly, so wrapped up in his grief that he could do nothing but trust her implicitly. His mate… he… he couldn’t feel her through the bond that he’d suddenly known to check. It had been there in the memory, the feeling of her pleasure, her thoughts processing in the back of his mind.

In that one flashback, every memory of her had returned to him in a single shot and had left his head throbbing painfully.

But she was gone. Even after he’d looked immediately upon waking, there was no one there on the other side of it.

Which could only mean that Bulma was dead.


	8. Chapter 8

 

Vegeta sighed when he woke to a wonderful smell right in his nose and the sensation of being pressed tightly against something warm and soft… and then the night before came flooding back to him in a rush and his head snapped up to look at the blonde that was holding him.

Not him holding her. _She_ was holding _him_ , arms wound around him tightly, and his face had been pressed to her breasts, his legs wound with hers. And he’d let her. Not only let her but… he remembered refusing to let her go at one point when she’d moved away from him ever so slightly. At that moment in time, deep in his despair for a mate that he knew he’d never see again, he’d _needed_ … **_craved_** that contact… and she’d given it to him.

But now, in the morning light… the contact only terrified him.

It seemed he was going to have one of his bad days.

Usagi stirred as she felt the body in her arms wiggling and struggling wildly to get loose, and murmured something soothing into his hair as her fingertips gently stroked a line down his back. The struggling ceased for a moment as he stilled in surprise, but it was quickly renewed and she released him with a frown. “I was awfully comfortable, you know,” she whispered sleepily, not even bothering to open her eyes. “You’re nice and warm, big guy.”

She yawned and stretched before blinking open those huge blue eyes, and sighed when she saw him staring at her with what seemed to be a mix of confusion and suspicion. “Not to embarrass you, but I wasn’t sure what else to do when you started crying like that,” she said gently. “You scared the hell out of me when you wouldn’t stop.”

Usagi tried to reach out to give him a comforting touch, but he expectedly slid back, just out of reach. “Alright, fine. Are you… ok, though?” She smiled when he nodded a little, then she pointed to the kitchen. “Hungry?” Another nod. “Ok, just let me—“ She grunted with pain when she climbed to her feet, and remembered with some annoyance that she was still bleeding. “Ugh, I’ll be right back. Time for the seven-day limp,” she muttered dryly. “I can’t wait until this whole thing is over. Only two or three more days, thank the gods.”

Once she was cleaned up and had a fresh pad, she tried not to groan as she made her way back into the main section of the little house. “I’m going to be pretty useless today,” she informed him. “Sorry.”

Vegeta shrugged and nodded towards his bed as he carried the tray of food he’d prepared from one of the capsules, but he didn’t offer up any food when she sat down. Instead, he gestured for her to lie down, covered her up when she complied, and used a bit of his ki to ignite the logs in the fireplace. Then he finally offered her a bowl of soup once he’d taken a sip from it.

“Thank you,” Usagi whispered, genuinely surprised by his kind attempt to make sure she was warm. She sipped at her soup, using the bowl as a cup, and silently watched him eat for a little while, occasionally selecting a piece of food and taking a small bite before handing it over. Watching him eat made her strangely happy; he was eating more every day, taking longer at every meal, and while he didn’t use any utensils, he was curiously neat about it. “Big guy?” She asked suddenly, while he was handing her a piece of bread. “Last night… what did you remember?”

Vegeta looked away from her immediately and stared at the floor. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have asked. Just forget about it, honey.”

He shook his head a little and made that curvy shape in the air that he’d made in the hot spring, indicating his mate, and he felt tears prick his eyes when Usagi paled in understanding. “She’s… gone, isn’t she, big guy?” She whispered.

When he nodded, the tears came again, and he was so distraught that he didn’t fight her when she moved the food out of the way and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry, honey.”

He let out a rush of air at her words and nodded his thanks; he wouldn’t have been able to explain it without speaking anyway, and he still wasn’t even close to being ready to try that. In a display to show her there were no hard feelings for her asking, he slid a little closer to her on the bed. Not quite close enough to touch without reaching out, but close enough to show her that he trusted her.

###########################

He ate that first meal that morning, but not much else as he settled into a depression that even Usagi couldn’t shake him out of. Other than sleeping and crying, he didn’t do much else as the week wore on. Even the end of her period didn’t get anything but a shrug out of him as Usagi did a little happy dance in an attempt to get him to smile.

Then he started actually climbing into bed with her in the middle of the night, clinging to her like an anchor of sorts as he bawled his eyes out like an inconsolable child. He was having dreams about his mate, Usagi was sure of it, but she was loathe to ask him because she didn’t want to make his grief any worse.

#########################

Vegeta remembered everything about her now. Her hair, her smile, her voice, even her scent. Autumn leaves with just a hint of machine oil; even if she was fresh from the shower, she still always bore a hint of that particular scent and he would always associate it with hard work and a stubborn streak that went for miles.

He remembered every argument, every time they’d made love, every instance in which he’d run off into space to train just to get a break from her mouth… even though she’d still be lurking in the back of his mind, sometimes cursing him through the mating bond and ordering him to get his royal ass back home.

The prince passed out on Usagi twice during the first two weeks of his mourning period; the first was to remember his son as a teenager defeating another male demi-Saiyan in a large ring. His pride had swelled on that day; not only had his boy defeated the spawn of Kakarot, but now he’d done it _twice_! And in a fair fight, too!

_“In your FACE, KAKAROT!”_

_“Aw, Vegeta… you take these things way too seriously, you know. It’s just a friendly match!”_

_Vegeta rolled his eyes at that and punched Kakarot in the shoulder as his son began to beat the pure shit out of Goten in a barrage of ki blasts as they both ascended to level two. “It might be friendly to **your** brat, Kakarot, but my son is in it to win it! That’s the mark of a **true** Saiyan warrior! Heh… maybe your boy’s just too **human** for his own good…?”_

_Kakarot growled a little at that; Vegeta had clearly gotten under his skin. Leaning over the spectator’s railing, he yelled out towards the ring. “GOTEN! KICK HIS ASS!”_

_A deep, rolling laugh erupted from the prince then and he slapped his only friend heartily on the back. “Now that’s more like it, Kakarot! **TRUNKS**! SHOW THAT PITIFUL EXCUSE FOR A SAIYAN HOW IT’S DONE!”_

The second dream was what put him in a waking coma, and resulted in Usagi holding him tightly for eighteen hours with only an occasional break to pee. She’d worried that whole time that his nightmare had broken him, but when he came around eventually she breathed a sigh of relief.

Vegeta finally knew what had happened to get him captured.

#######################

_Just a little more and he’d be able to transform to Super Saiyan three at will; he’d reached that pinnacle of power weeks ago during a fight with Kakarot. Not a spar… an actual fight, something that very rarely happened between them and almost always wound up with Vegeta eating dirt as he bled into the ground at his rival’s feet._

_But not that time._

_Vegeta grinned a little at the memory of how Kakarot’s face had looked when the prince had surpassed him for the first time ever in power… just before that sweet, innocent face had been ruined by one good punch to the jaw. A punch that had sent the younger Saiyan flying into a mountain, and Vegeta had followed up with a vicious barrage of kicks, punches and ki blasts that had put the other warrior on his knees._

_Bulma had been understanding when her mate had arrived back at Capsule Corp on cloud nine, declaring that he was venturing into space to train for a couple weeks in order to attain that level of power consistently. She was used to that sort of thing after nearly twenty years together, and she didn’t mind it so long as he didn’t randomly take off for months at a time like Kakarot did._

_Say what you would about the world’s greatest hero… but he could be an awful mate and father when it came to spending time with them. Even Chi-Chi had grudgingly admitted that Vegeta was a better family man than her own mate most of the time. He didn’t vanish constantly to train, and certainly not for seven years at a time, and at least Vegeta had died only once since starting a family and not a gazillion times. And even then he’d only done it to save his son and Goten from being destroyed as well._

_Chi-Chi sure didn’t like the prince, but even she acknowledged the fact that Vegeta had saved her baby boy that day. Hell, she’d even thanked him for it years later._

_It had been a little over a week since he’d left and begun his solitary training session on an asteroid lurking between the Earth and Mars, and the constant power-ups and ki blasts had reduced it to not much more than a football field. But it was still usable, and if he managed to destroy the whole thing, oh well. He’d just cut the trip a little short and head for Earth’s moon._

_Vegeta was nearly there, he could feel all of that extra power lurking inside of him somewhere as he went to the peak of Super Saiyan two and screamed his head off at the stars overhead… until he felt an enormous power level drawing near._

_The moment he made for his space pod, though, it exploded into a million pieces, and Vegeta gaped at it for a moment before snarling in anger and flinging a ki blast at the incoming ship. He was unsurprised to see it bounce right off; that ship was an Ice-jin ship and had some of the best shields ever devised in the Eastern Quadrant._

_There was nowhere to run as the ship touched down, and Vegeta waited calmly, outwardly showing no emotion as an Ice-jin disembarked all alone and looked him up and down slowly. “What do you want?” The Saiyan prince asked tersely._

_“Revenge,” he cooed silkily in a slightly effeminate voice. “And I think I’ll begin with you, my dear prince. Tell me… was it you that killed both my brothers and my father?”_

_“Cooler, yes,” he grunted, smirking slightly at the admission. “Frieza and Cold, no. You must be Arctic.”_

_“Guilty as charged, Prince Vegeta. So… tell me. Who killed Father and Frieza? I know it could have only been one of you little monkeys; no one else in the universe would have been powerful enough to do it.”_

_“My son,” he chuckled, “took your bitch brother out in a matter of seconds while barely lifting a finger. Then your father afterwards, even though that coward begged for his fucking life like a spineless little girl.”_

_“Don’t sound too smug, princeling. Because at this very moment, I have one of my guns aimed right for your new home planet. Ah, ah, ah!” Arctic chastised as soon as Vegeta looked back towards Earth and began to wildly flare his ki to signal Kakarot for help. “Do that again and I’ll blow it into a million little pieces.”_

_“Hell, go for it,” Vegeta rumbled nonchalantly. “Kakarot and his brats will survive it and so will my son. Shit, the Namek might even make it out alive.”_

_“Puh-lease, Vegeta. Spare me that hard-ass display. If I know you as well as I did your father, you’ve gotten soft since taking a mate, and you’re thinking of nothing except saving her and the rest of her pathetic little race. So… I’m offering you a choice, sweet prince.”_

_He stared down his enemy for a long moment before admitting to himself that there was nothing he could do except go along… for the moment, at least. Hopefully he’d figure something out in the meantime. “You want to kill me. Fine. But how do I know that you won’t just blow Earth to pieces the moment I’m dead?”_

_“Hmm… you don’t, Prince Vegeta. But you’ll just have to take my word for it. Besides… I’m not interested in killing you. My choice is slavery, dearest. Slavery, or the death of everyone you love. And of course, the slavery of your son thrown in just to make things interesting,” he added with a wry little smile. “So howabout it, Vegeta? Your son killed my brother and father. Will you atone for his sins? Or shall I have to make a little trip to Earth?”_

_Vegeta had endured slavery once before at the hands of Frieza; he knew what was coming and how it would be. But Trunks… he’d been born free and had experienced the type of carefree childhood that Vegeta had never had. Trunks would never survive that kind of slavery… but Vegeta could. He’d agree to it and once they were far away from Earth and that little blue dirtball was out of Arctic’s firing range, Vegeta would find a way to kill Arctic and escape._

**_I love you, Bulma. Tell Trunks the same. I’ll be home soon,_ r’sha _._**

**_Vegeta!? Vegeta, what’s—_ **

_Closing his eyes in concentration, Vegeta blocked his mate out for the first time in over a decade. Hearing the ‘L’ word from him would be enough of a message that something was very wrong, and he knew she’d immediately contact Kakarot. If he couldn’t break himself out, the younger Saiyan would find him and take care of business. “Fine. I’ll take whatever punishment you plan on handing out,” Vegeta ground through his teeth._

_“Good to hear. After you, Prince Vegeta,” Arctic purred, gesturing towards the ship._

_The moment he was on the ship he was forced to submit to being collared, and Vegeta felt the hope of escaping or being rescued die not only ten minutes after he’d submitted to the slavery. He’d nearly opened the mating bond once more to give Bulma his location, but the whistle of a whip through the air stopped him dead._

_If he opened the mating bond, she’d feel the pain, too… and no Saiyan worth his salt would ever put his mate through that kind of pain. Ever._

_The first rape had come the next day, and Vegeta’s only consolation was the fact that it was him and not Trunks who was chained to the ceiling, blood running down his thighs. Yes, he could endure this, he’d been through it before under Frieza… but Trunks wouldn’t have survived this kind of pain and humiliation._

_Only Vegeta could have handled such an attrition of the body and soul._

#######################

“Big guy…” Usagi sighed and gently ran her fingers through his hair to get his attention, and wasn’t surprised to find him crying again when he removed his face from his pillow. “Hey,” she breathed softly, immediately drawing him into her arms. She couldn’t help but cry with him a little as she’d done for the last three weeks since he’d discovered that his mate was dead, and she wished not for the first time that she could simply find a way to take his pain.

“Come on… you need to eat something, honey. Please,” she added when he shook his head and tried to lie back down. “Starving yourself isn’t going to help matters.”

It was the same argument every day, and Usagi won as usual when she held a spoon to his lips. He took it automatically and ate until she finally allowed him to stop; if it hadn’t been for his decades in captivity, Vegeta would likely have resisted until he was blue in the face.

“There, all done,” she said gently. “Now… we need food, honey. So I’ll need to leave for a few hours… but I’ll admit I’m worried about leaving you alone.”

Vegeta merely shook his head a little and sighed wearily as he picked up a pen and a pad of paper. _Put me to sleep for as long as is safe. I’m tired of hurting._

“That’s what I was thinking, too. Glad we’re on the same page. I’ll put you out for a day, alright? So go on and use the bathroom real quick, and then I’ll put you under… and I’ll make sure that you have only good dreams, sweetheart.”

#########################

 

                Raditz immediately jerked up straight and whipped his head around, beaming brightly the moment he felt Sailor Cosmos’s ki blink into existence nearby, and he was off like a shot in search for her. “ANGEL!” He yelled gleefully the moment he heard her voice speaking with Broly.

                “Hey, Raddy,” she replied absently as she detransformed.

                The long-haired Saiyan froze at the sight of her puffy, bloodshot eyes and the dark circles beneath them and immediately growled as he stalked forward and scooped her into his arms. “You are going nowhere until you’ve rested, woman,” he snarled down at her when she opened her mouth to protest being carried. “What in the fuck have you been doing to yourself!? You’ve lost weight and you look like shit, Usagi.”

                “Gee, thanks,” she muttered dryly. “I’ve never felt so flattered, Raditz.”

                “Shut up before I shut you up, woman,” he muttered, his tone so serious that Usagi sighed and silenced any further protests, even when he placed her in a bed that reeked of his scent.

                She did finally protest when Raditz began to yank her clothing off piece by piece, but he was clearly ignoring her as he tossed her things to the floor to finally gaze down at her with a mixture of desire and annoyance. “Go to sleep,” he ordered, yanking his covers up over her.

                “Please don’t be mad at me.”

                Raditz clenched his fists and growled a little as he turned back around to look at her, and he sagged at the sight of tears welling up in her eyes. “Damn it,” he sighed, yanking his armor over his head as he came back over and slid into the bed, yanking her tightly to his chest. “I’m not mad at you,” he whispered into her hair as he purred gently in comfort. “I’m worried about you. Why aren’t you taking care of yourself, angel?” Hell, why wasn’t her patient taking care of her? If anything, he should have taken her by then, but Raditz had felt a mixture of glee and confusion upon seeing her unmarked shoulder.

                “I’m trying,” she barely managed as she snuggled into the scent of the ocean, wild and cool and warm at the same time. “The big guy… he remembered his mate.”

                “Oh…” Raditz frowned, apparently she had it bad for him if she was doing this to herself.

                “He can’t feel her through the bond, Raddy. She’s dead.”

                “Oh, shit.” Well, that explained why she looked like she’d gotten hit by a dropship; she wasn’t doing it to herself, she was nursing her patient through one hell of a mourning period. And he knew better than anyone how little she ate when she was truly upset about something. “Are you sure he’s alright to leave alone, beautiful?”

                “Yeah, I told him I needed to make a trip for groceries, and he told me to knock him out for a full day. I didn’t like the idea, but he said he just wanted to not feel the pain for as long as was safe. We’re communicating by writing now, at least.”

                Raditz immediately rolled out of the bed, opened his door, and grabbed the first Saiyan that walked past to order him to go get enough food to feed Usagi and her patient for a week, and when Usagi offered the list she’d made he took it and passed it on. “There,” he said with finality as he joined her again. “Now you rest, woman. Sound fair?”

                “Normally I’d argue, but that honestly sounds like the best idea I’ve ever heard,” she sighed wearily. “I just need some time where I’m not constantly feeling his pain. It sucks… and I know that sounds selfish, but…”

                “Explains why you’ve lost weight. And it’s not selfish, angel, to want to feel something other than all of that mental anguish.” Raditz nuzzled his face into her hair and breathed in the scent of the stars and the moon while he absently petted her for a long while. “Sleep,” he whispered again, when after thirty minutes of silence she was still awake. He could tell that she was deep in thought by the way her fingertips were tracing random little patterns over the definition of his abs; she’d done that fifty years ago whenever she was thinking, and apparently some things never changed. “You’re still feeling the residue of his pain, aren’t you, angel?”

                “Yeah,” she admitted in embarrassment. “Sorry, Raddy, I—what are you doing?” She gasped when he suddenly rolled on top of her.

                “Hush,” he ordered gently as he trailed his lips down her throat, “we’re killing two opponents in one shot, angel. You’ve felt enough pain… so I’m going to give you some pleasure…” Raditz licked a nipple slowly before giving a long, soft suck, his purr shifting to one of seduction as his tail waved in the air, spreading his musk and pheromones.

                “And the second?” Usagi squeaked when he looked up at her with unconcealed lust.

                “I’ve wanted you so badly since I last saw you that I haven’t even looked at another woman,” he purred. “I think I need some closure, Usagi… if you’re willing, that is.” Raditz moved up and kissed her when she immediately opened her mouth. “Nope. A yes or a no, nothing more or less.” When her eyes darted to the side and she gnawed on her lower lip for a moment, Raditz sagged. “What is it, angel?”

                “It’s not as simple as a yes or a no, Raddy,” she sighed. “You know that.”

                He knew what she was getting at, and the Saiyan warrior had to give her credit for thinking ahead. “I won’t bite you, and I won’t expect this to be a regular thing, angel. Just a day, alright?” She was still worrying her lip after a few more moments, and Raditz buried his face in her hair in an attempt to calm his beast and his raging arousal. “Gods, Usa… your smell alone is making me a little crazy… just let me love you for one day. Give me that much. Hell, give yourself that much; we both need the comfort and you know it.” He huffed when she stayed silent for another minute, and finally rolled off of her. “Forget it, angel. I know you have a thing for your wild man.”

                “I just don’t want things to get weird between us, Raddy.”

                “Oh… that’s what you were worried about? Shit, angel. What happens in my bedroom _stays_ in my bedroom,” he purred with renewed hope as he began to lick and nip at her throat.

                “Well… in that case…” Usagi licked her lips nervously as she slowly looked him up and down, and apparently her nerves were showing by the way he was smiling down at her.

                “Just relax, my angel. I’ll take care of you.” With that said, he kissed her with every ounce of skill he possessed, and he had her moaning and melting into him in less than five minutes as their tongues slowly dueled and their hands wandered beneath the sheets.

                “Want you now, angel,” Raditz groaned as he pressed his entry. Normally he would have given her endless foreplay, but his beast was screaming for her, _begging_ for her, and he couldn’t fight it off any longer. “Tell me how you want me, Usa.”

                “Slow,” she sighed against his lips as she wrapped her legs around him and arched in invitation. “Make love to me, Raditz.”

                “Anything for you, my angel,” he purred as he pressed forward, followed by a low moan as he slid home. “So damn _tight_ … gods, some things never change…” Then he began to move when she rocked her hips against him impatiently, but he actually whimpered after a moment. “Angel… I’m… I’m about to…”

                Usagi smiled up at him and flexed around him on purpose to send him over the edge with a loud yell of her name, and she giggled a little when he slumped on top of her. “I remember that happening about fifty years ago.”

                “Only with you, Usa. You’re the only woman that’s ever made me come that fast… gods, I you’ve always made me feel like some sort of teenage virgin.”

                Usagi squealed a little in surprise when he suddenly rolled them and he grasped her hips to thrust upwards. “Raddy—you’re too big like this, you know that,” she whispered, flinching at a hint of pain mixed in with the pleasure.

                “I also remember you coming harder than ever while you were on top, beautiful.” Raditz moved a hand between her legs to slowly trace little circles around her clit and murmured in approval when he felt her tighten a bit. “Use me for your pleasure, angel. I’ll hold still unless you order me to do otherwise.”

                Sensing his level of restraint, Usagi was thoroughly impressed… but that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to lose herself in him, to utterly forget the last two months… if only for a few hours. Leaning down, she sucked on his lower lip as she moved a little and moaned something in a language he didn’t understand. “I’m ordering you to take me, Raddy,” she finally breathed. “Unless you think you’re not up to the job.”

                A full five seconds passed in which he just gaped at such an insult to his virility. Then he was flipping her back over and slamming into her, a growl mixing with his purr until both sounds merged into one rich, dark, sexy noise. And judging from her cries and moans of pleasure, she was enjoying every bit of it as she used a touch of her power to toughen her up against such a blatant Saiyan pounding.

                “Thought—you—wanted—slow—“ Raditz finally gasped between thrusts.

                Usagi was beyond words as she clung to him, and it only took another few moments before she was yelling loudly, announcing her climax to the world. She went limp then and chuckled as Raditz slowed down and simply continued to flex his hips as he kissed his way down to her breasts, taking one in his mouth to make her purr happily. “I did… but then I changed my mind. Besides, Raddy… I thought I’d let you enjoy the novelty of a woman that could withstand you at full force.”

                “Ah, yes… I must admit that I’d missed that,” he snickered.

                “So… are you satisfied with the pelvic exam?” Usagi teased as he relaxed and simply pulsed inside of her for a few moments while he kissed his way slowly back up to her mouth.

                “Not by a long shot, angel. But you need to rest…” Raditz hid his disappointment, but it was true. If anything, the bags under her eyes had only gotten darker. “…so go to sleep, my angel, and I’ll wake you with a mind-blowing orgasm in a few hours. Sound good?”

                “Whatever you think’s best, Dr. Love.” Usagi yawned and sighed happily when Raditz snuggled in behind her, his purr quickly lulling her into a deep sleep.

                “I love you, _r’sha_ ,” Raditz breathed in her ear before carefully slipping out of the bed, intent on getting far away before he did something stupid.

                Turles was waiting for him in the common room, and Raditz simply ignored everyone’s little grins and winks as he flopped down on the couch beside his brother.

                “I’m stunned that you didn’t bite her.”

                Raditz took the offered bottle from his brother and drank deeply; he knew damned well that Turles could see the heartbreak written all over his face. Turles was the only one that could read him like a book no matter how hard he tried to hide his true emotions. “I promised her I wouldn’t.”

                “But… _why_!?” Turles asked in abject surprise. “You’re in love with her, Raditz! Any idiot with a pair of eyes can see it!”

                “Because I wouldn’t make her happy,” he grunted in reply. “Sure, I’d try my best, but… she’d never be truly happy with me, Turley. I’m just grateful to have known her and gotten a taste of that happiness for myself.”

                Turles, while impressed by his brother’s maturity, wouldn’t be swayed that easily. “Dude. She’s the one for you. Period.”

                “Yeah… I’ll agree with you on that one, brother. She **_is_** the one for me. But I’m not the one for **_her_**. I suspect that her mystery patient is, though, and I won’t ruin whatever chance she may have at true love and contentment. Out of everyone in this godsforsaken universe, Turley… she deserves it more than anyone, and I’ll be damned if I selfishly take that chance from her.”

                “Well… you’re certainly a lot more adult about it than I would be,” Turles admitted as he drew out a fresh bottle of rum and motioned for Raditz to just keep the other one. “Get drunk, big brother. You deserve it.”

                “Not too drunk,” Raditz rumbled as he took a long slow swallow. “I’m waking that woman up with the best, galaxy-shaking sex of her life in six hours.”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Usagi woke to the sound of a moan, groggy and confused and overwhelmed with pleasure as it coursed through her body, and it took her more than a minute to realize that the moan had come from her due to a highly skilled tongue slowly stroking back and forth over her clit. “Raddy?” She whimpered, arching helplessly into him.

“Mmmhmm?” Raditz chuckled when she gasped something in a dead language and her hands buried themselves in his long hair as her back bowed a little and she moaned loudly.

A question had been on her lips, but it flew right out of her head to ask anything when he suddenly began to suck and she felt his tail press into her. “Holy--! Raddy, _please_ —I think I’m—“

And then it all suddenly stopped, but before she could yell at him for ceasing the ecstasy thrumming through her, she tasted herself on his lips as he crawled up and kissed her forcefully. All thought went right out the window again when his tail took over for his mouth and he thrust into her roughly. “Want to feel it when you come,” he growled into her shoulder.

“Close—don’t stop— ** _please_** don’t stop…” She needn’t have begged; combined with the way he was licking and nipping at her shoulder and the shocks of pleasure it was sending through her, his hard and demanding thrusts easily sent her hurtling right into oblivion, coming so hard that she nearly passed out.

With a low chuckle Raditz slowed down a little and sucked on her bottom lip. “Still with me, angel?”

“Uh-huuuuh…”

“Told you so.”

“Huuuuh?”

“That I’d wake you up with a mind-blowing orgasm… apparently I followed through on the mind-blowing count. How many fingers am I holding up? What year is it? What’s your name, sweetheart?” He teased.

“Mmm… can’t tell… who cares… and Yours,” she replied with a delirious little smile, her eyes still hazy as hell as she gazed up at him.

“ ** _Good answer_**!” Raditz laughed as he resumed hooking his hips into hers at a steady pace. “Just for that, I think I’ll reward you with a few more, my angel. Unless you can’t handle it…?”

“Mmm… bring it, sexy,” she purred, meeting his motions with her own.

“Mine,” he sighed happily as he let himself pretend, just for a little while, that she was really his and she wasn’t simply trying to placate his beast with her words. Until she spoke again, anyway.

“Yours,” she agreed gently as she felt herself spiraling up towards another orgasm. “All day, Raditz.”

“Shut up,” he groaned just before silencing another comment with his mouth, kissing her long and slow, his tongue stroking over hers in time with the flexing of his hips.

Usagi did as she was told and came within moments, nearly biting down on his tongue in reaction to the explosive orgasm, clutching at his back and digging her nails into the ruddy flesh.

“I didn’t mean you had to shut up when it came to everything,” he purred. “Feel free to moan my name as much as you want, angel.”

Usagi did just that as he latched onto a nipple and sucked while he eased back his intensity to gently make love to her and his tail resumed playing with her clit. “Raditz… please…”

“No,” he breathed as switched to her other breast, “just come for me like this, Usagi… just be mine…”

“Kay,” she whimpered, totally unable to argue with him while he was giving her the best sex of her entire endless existence. “Come with me, Raddy,” she gasped after she came once more with a yell and was already on her way up for another.

“Anything, angel,” he groaned softly, following the cues that he knew so well as she moaned and arched into him, her body pleading for just a little more to send her roaring into one last climax. The sensation of him hardening as he quickened was what did it, and she yanked him down for an intense, throat-swabbing kiss as she bucked and stiffened in his arms, his lips muffling her yell of rapture.

Raditz was just behind her, growling and purring at the same time as he spilled into her, and he finally collapsed in an exhausted heap on top of her once he’d ridden out both of their orgasms. “I swear… it gets better every time I take you, _r’sha_ …”

He only caught his mistake when he felt Usagi tense beneath him, and closed his eyes, silently cursing under his breath. “A slip of the tongue, I promise you, angel. I won’t say it again. No, don’t,” he added quickly when he felt her try to slide out from under him. “Forget I even said it, Usa… just… just please let me have this,” he begged softly. Raditz finally looked down at her and sighed heavily when he felt her still. “Too much rum loosened my tongue, Usagi. That’s all.”

She didn’t want to believe such a convenient lie, but for Raditz… she would. Usagi could feel his love for her pouring through her empathic powers; _that_ he couldn’t hide from her, and she knew he’d uttered that word in complete devotion. But she’d let it go for his sake. He couldn’t have her and he knew it… but she could at least give him the rest of the day.

After all, she’d lied to him once as well since their little reunion. When he’d asked if she’d been in love with him in the past and she’d told him no. So the least she could do in return was to spare his pride and let him think she believed the fib.

#############################

“He loves you, you know.”

Usagi turned and blinked into the darkness to finally focus on a smell rather than a man—the strong scent of rum, likely more than enough to knock out a squad of Saiyan Elite.

But not Turles. She’d learned over the day that _no one_ went toe to toe with Raditz’s little brother in a drinking contest and came out with their liver intact. “You scared the hell out of me, Turles.”

“Didn’t mean to. I thought your empathic abilities would have tuned you in to my presence,” he chuckled in the pitch before taking another swig.

“Normally… yeah. But they’re kind of cut off for now,” Usagi whispered sadly. “I already know… what you said. I could feel it.”

“So you’re using him!?” Turles snapped out a little hotly. “You might be the Queen of the fucking Stars and everything, but it gives you **_no right_** to use my brother like a piece of fucking meat, woman!”

Wiping at the tears welling up in her eyes, Usagi yanked the bottle out of his hand—ignoring his growl—and took a healthy swallow. “I wasn’t using him,” she finally replied. “I… I didn’t have it in me to tell him no, Turles. Even though I needed the comfort, too, I’ll admit that much. But I mostly thought that maybe… I don’t know… that I could honestly give him some closure. I was in love with him fifty years ago,” she added so softly that he barely heard her. “Heh… honestly? It feels good to finally admit it. Raditz… he asked me about it and I lied through my teeth.”

“Good. Because it would fucking kill him if he ever knew that he truly had a chance with you and that he blew it. And I’m sorry I snapped, woman.”

“S’ok, honey. I would have gotten defensive over my brother, too. Just don’t tell him, ok? I know that me leaving is going to break his heart a little, but… it’s too late. Fifty years ago I would have been happy to be his mate, but… I don’t think that’s my path anymore. My crystal… I haven’t told anyone, but it’s been resonating with the big guy. And the crystal is never, ever wrong. I’m pretty sure he’s the one, Turles. Even if he can’t ever be whole again.”

“You’re in love with him?” Turles asked gently, passing the bottle back over to her as he tugged her down onto the couch with him.

“Falling,” she admitted quietly before drinking. “I see the man he was beneath all that pain and I can’t help but love what I see… but since he went into mourning over his mate, I haven’t seen a glimmer of it. And the thought of that breaks my heart. I wish I knew how to fix it for him. But honestly? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t feel the same way about me. There have been a few times that have made me wonder but… I don’t know. Best not to get my hopes up, right?”

“There’s a way to end his mourning… but…” Turles emptied the bottle with a few large swallows and set it on the floor. “It’d be best for **_him_** to figure it out. If I don’t have a copy of that book, I know Broly will. I’ll make sure you get one. For now… got any more rum?”

“I have tequila,” Usagi offered, pulling the bottle from her subspace. “It’s just as strong as the stuff I gave you.”

“Well, then it’s strong enough to ease heartache, isn’t it? Drink up, Usa, I’m going to get you so drunk that you won’t be able to see straight.”

#####################################

                Usagi expected to be pinned down and snarled at when she reappeared in the house, but she only found her wild man lying in his little nest, watching the fire that burned and crackled beside him. “Hey,” she sighed, “sorry I’m a little late. Raditz and Turles both insisted on making me rest before I returned.”

 Especially after she’d fallen into Broly in a drunken stupor, muttering something in a dead language while insisting in the same language that she wasn’t even close to being drunk. The Saiyans hiding out in the building had gotten quite a laugh out of it all, including Raditz, and they’d finally dumped her in his bed to sleep it off.

Thank the gods that a transformation to Cosmos had burned off the hangover six hours later.

“Did you eat anything, big guy?”

                When he grunted a negative, Usagi sighed and removed the groceries from her subspace, put it all away in the cabinets and fridge, and brought over the takeout that Broly had brought her, only to be bombarded by his grief once more as she drew near. “Broly gave me this for you, too,” she offered, drawing a book out to hand it over. “It’s a manual on your people, the hormones, and your inner beast. All that fun stuff you’ve likely forgotten,” she added with an attempt at levity. Hopefully whatever the solution was that Turles had spoken of, her patient would discover it soon.

                Vegeta sighed and sat up to take the book and place it with the others, not even glancing at the cover. Usagi’s scent hit him the moment he looked at her though, and a growl started low in his chest, totally unbidden.

                She barely managed to remain calm when he suddenly pinned her on her back and snarled in her face, but she couldn’t help but shiver at the intensity in his eyes. He wasn’t just mad… he was _pissed_ , and the gold ki flames erupting around him were definitely more than intimidating. “What did I do!? Big guy!?” Her answer came when Vegeta sniffed her loudly and growled once more. “But… but I _showered_!”

                Well, apparently that didn’t matter a damned bit; he could obviously still smell Raditz’s scent on her, and by the way he was reacting, he knew that Raditz had taken her to bed while she’d been gone. Usagi was surprised at her own indignant anger when she bared her teeth at him and growled right back. “You know what, big guy!? I’m sorry that I didn’t quite get the smell off of me, but this is none of your business, you understand me!? And I am not about to lie here and justify my actions, either, so _get off of me!”_

                Vegeta growled at that but released her, cutting quite the impressive figure with his blonde hair and green eyes as he ordered her to the bathroom with a point and grunt. Usagi rolled her eyes and complied, but when she returned after twenty minutes, skin pink from scrubbing and smelling like her bodywash, she only found herself pinned once more, her towel stripped, and her throat being sniffed once more. “So help me God, big guy… if you sniff my crotch like a dog… we’re going to fuckin’ roll,” she warned him when his nose travelled to her stomach.

                That moment nearly came, but Vegeta stopped just short when he smelled Raditz on her lower belly and snarled in anger, pointing to the bathroom once more. “No!” Usagi protested, “I’m clean, damn it, and I can hardly help it if Raditz managed to get his scent _everywhere_!” The quirk of a golden brow made her roll her eyes and sputter. “Ok, fine, I _could_ help it, but I can’t very well help the fact that Saiyan musk clings like some sort of horny superglue!”

                If he hadn’t been so angry at smelling Raditz on what he considered to be his woman—even through the grief, he still considered Usagi to be his—he would have laughed at that last part, but he instead scooped her up and stomped out the door, ignoring her kicking and screaming for five solid minutes.

                Usagi choked and fought for air after he’d dumped her in the hot spring, and actually shoved at his hard, immovable chest once she’d gotten her footing on the bottom. “You _asshole_!” Then he held his hand out and Usagi shook her head, crossed her arms indignantly and looked away. “No. I’m clean. I told you this already.”

                She screamed when she felt hands on her shoulders and she was suddenly beneath the water, clawing at him and fighting for air in a complete panic. “The fuck!?” She yelled as she came up swinging.

                Vegeta easily caught her fists, then held his hand out once more. “FINE!” Usagi hollered when he threatened to dunk her once more. The Saiyan prince grunted in approval when she placed soap and a rag in his hand, and he immediately stilled her when she moved to strike him again. _Damn, I’ve gotten her hot as hell!_ He mused to himself as he soaped the rag and began to wash her himself.

                Usagi submitted to it stiffly, unable to fight the blush coloring her whole body as he washed her gently but thoroughly. But when he reached down beneath the water, she squirmed in his grasp and shook her head. “No, big guy. I’ll get it. Just… no.”

                Rolling his eyes, Vegeta pinned her in place and began to wash between her legs, but stopped when she suddenly yelped and he smelled her fear. “It’s sensitive down there, damn it! Be nice, wild man! I mean… **dear gods** , I just got a twelve hour pounding from a randy Saiyan warrior, and you think I’m not going to be more than a little sore!?”

                Jealous as hell at her statement, he snarled and held her in place when she struggled again, but his hand was gentler as he moved to wash her again. He only stopped when she suddenly trembled, her face flushed bright red, and when he drew his next breath he scented her arousal. It was clear that Usagi knew what he smelled when she shivered a little and looked away in shame. “Can’t help it when you’re all up in there,” she whispered.

                Vegeta swallowed hard as his beast rose up, screaming at him to take her, to throw her down on the bank and bite her and ravage her until she was a hell of a lot more sore than she already was. It wasn’t that Raditz had taken her that had him fighting his beast; he still wanted her and wasn’t angry with her for giving in to the long-haired Saiyan’s advances. He knew damned well how skillfully seductive Raditz could be when he wanted a woman; Vegeta had seen it firsthand on more than one occasion.

                He wasn’t angry about that… because Raditz would never _ever_ , **_ever_** touch what was his again.

                Vegeta was angry because he’d let his grief blind him so badly that he’d all but completely ignored her. How had she felt about that? And coupled with her empathy, she’d surely felt every ounce of his pain. No wonder she’d taken an offer of physical comfort from a man that she was already comfortable with.

                Well damn it… he could give her that, too, and Vegeta relaxed the tight leash he had on his inner Saiyan as he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers.

                Floored by this sudden gentle attention, Usagi froze as what was going on dawned on her. He wasn’t mad because he smelled another male… he was mad because he smelled another male **_on her_**. He was… **_jealous_**!?

                _Two thousand years old, and I’m still the most naïve person I’ve ever known,_ she sighed to herself as she tentatively returned the kiss, her hand rising up from the water to cup his jaw. “I didn’t know you wanted me like that,” she breathed against his lips as he drew back a little. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have—“ Usagi gasped as he cut her off with another kiss, followed by a soft moan as his hand began to move beneath the water once more.

                But then he stopped, and she found herself actually arching into him a little for more. “Big guy…?”

                Vegeta licked his lips and swallowed nervously as he bent his head to her shoulder and nipped at it lightly. “Mine.”

                They both jumped a little at the sound of his voice, and he immediately flinched and cringed as he awaited the whistle of a lash through the air before it brought pain and agony in return for the sound of him speaking. Usagi’s voice brought him out of it, though.

                “You’re still mourning, big guy… we… we shouldn’t… you know.” The moon princess drew a deep breath and sighed. “Come on, let’s get back and eat something, ok?”

                Vegeta reluctantly nodded; he wanted her… and even more, he wanted to prove to her that he wanted her… but she was right. It would be wrong to court one mate while he was still mourning the loss of another.

####################

                Once back in the house, Usagi quickly retreated to the bathroom and put on a bulky sweater and a pair of soft, long sleeping pants; she was suddenly feeling very shy and modest due to the heated looks her wild man had been giving her during the trip back from the spring. He’d carried her the whole way, too, and every time she’d opened her mouth to protest being carted back, he’d kissed her soundly to shut her up.

                She found him reading the newest book she’d brought when she returned, and she nearly turned tail and ran when he looked up at her and growled a little at the sight of all that clothing between his hands and her skin.

                Vegeta stopped himself from stripping her, though, and felt the smallest smug hint of glee at the knowledge that he’d made her so shyly nervous to be around him. He beckoned her over and waited patiently as she stood there, noting with amusement that it had been her beckoning to him and he nervously twitching across the room only a little short of two months ago. Now it was apparently her turn to be the wary party.

                When she finally came over and sat beside him, Vegeta handed her a box of takeout and grunted a wordless order for her to eat something, followed by a caress of his hand down her cheek. “You should eat, too,” she said, handing him the other box. “What’s that chapter about anyway?” She added as she looked over his shoulder at the glyphs that meant nothing to her.

                Vegeta merely shrugged a little and went back to his reading; it was a chapter about Saiyan mourning, how long it lasted, how to deal with it, and when it would finally fade. So far, the news wasn’t good; apparently his kind mourned for up to six months. But he found a silver lining as he turned the page and read further; a new mating bond would nip it in the bud immediately. The book said that his people more or less mourned the lack of the bond than anything else… yes, they would grieve for their loved one, but their beast would only allow so much of that. They truly grieved for the loss of that open link and the comfort that it gave them, the feeling of that calmer, female mind on the other end, balancing out that vicious warrior nature.

                Usagi looked up when she felt a poke to her shoulder, and she immediately blushed under his intense scrutiny. “Yeah?” A tug to the hem of her sweater was his answer, and Usagi shook her head a little shyly. “I… I think I’d rather stay dressed, big guy.”

                Vegeta sighed, pointed at the opened page in the book, then back to her and the bulky sweater. “Oh…You need me to do something in that book?” She asked, now simply curious as she slowly drew the sweater over her head and set it aside. “Why don’t you just write it down and tell me?”

                The prince blinked at that and nodded as he fought down a sudden fresh wave of sadness. He was remembering how he’d first bitten Bulma in a total and complete heat of the moment encounter, and how it had been months before she’d bitten him back while in the throes of passion. He didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at that memory; she’d come into the gravity room to cuss him out about something—as usual—and Vegeta had had enough of her mouth for one day. So he’d cut on the gravity to fifty Gs and had let her lie there and scream her head off at him for five full minutes before he’d taken advantage of her inability to move.

                Sure, he’d been intimate with her before that day, but that encounter in the gravity room had changed something between them. It had started out hot and raw as it usually did, but the moment he’d taken her and clamped down on the mark on her shoulder, he’d gentled his thrusts and had begun to make love to her… the first time he’d ever done that with anyone, in fact.

                That day had also been the first time he’d uttered the word for beloved in his native language… it had also been the day they’d conceived their son.

                Usagi could sense his sudden change in mood and immediately went into comforting mode; she’d only been doing exactly that for weeks and it seemed like second nature to her at that point. “I’m sorry, big guy. I wish you’d talk… you could tell me all about her. I’m sure she was really something to have snagged a Saiyan prince.”

                _Yes… she was really something… but I was lucky to have snagged **her** , _Vegeta corrected her silently. He sighed as he began to write on a piece of paper, alternately wiping at his eyes as he continued to think about Bulma and what she would want him to do.

                She’d most likely want him to go home, find Trunks, and be happy. That last part he was sure of; he recalled the only time she’d ever spoken of him outliving her, and Bulma had instructed him to not even worry about her. She knew he loved her, but she didn’t have any plans of dying of _anything_ but old age. And when that day finally came… Bulma explained that she would have lived a long and happy life with no regrets, lots of love, and a wonderful son that she was immensely proud of.

                And that Vegeta should immediately move on and find someone else to spend his life with.

                _“Besides, it’d be awfully selfish of you to deprive a woman of those wonderful bedroom skills of yours… so long as I’m dead, anyway.”_

Usagi took the paper when he was done; it was longer than anything he’d given her before, and she gave his words her full attention as she read them.

                _The book says that I’m mostly mourning the loss of the mating bond, and that a new one will get rid of the sadness and grief. I’m tired of hurting, Usagi. I know I’m not whole, but I swear to try to be as whole as possible for you if you’d let me mark you._

“Big guy… can I… dear gods, I don’t want you to hurt anymore, but… this is a big thing. This is… I mean, you’re talking about what equates to marriage, aren’t you?”

                Vegeta hurriedly snatched back the paper and scribbled for a moment. _We don’t have to consummate it. I’d never force you._

                “Sex isn’t the issue, honey. It’s because I’m _immortal_ ,” she explained, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “You’d be stuck with me _forever_. And I pop around dimensions constantly and never stay in one place for very long and—mmmmph… do you always have to kiss me when I talk too much?” She finished with a mumble against the mouth that had just claimed hers.

                Vegeta grunted an affirmative and shrugged. _You don’t have to bite me back,_ he wrote. _That would be a Saiyan marriage. Me biting you is more like…_ He tapped the pen against his chin for a moment before putting it back to the paper. _…an engagement. I think. I could read some more and find out, but that’s how I remember it with Bulma. My bite warns off other males and gives us a half-bond. Your bite completes the bond and validates my claim over you as my mate. Think of it as a courting mark._

                Usagi picked up her box of takeout and began to eat once more, signaling with her hand that she just wanted some quiet for a few minutes. She was grateful when he went back to his book and did as she requested while she thought, and after a full minute she was floored by her own selfishness.

                He’d been in pain for so damned long that he had only been beginning to relax and relearn what any semblance of pleasure felt like… only for him to remember his mate and be thrown right back into pain and a new type of inner torture. And she could end it for him. _I can do this for him…_

                Hell, she **_would_** do this for him if it meant an end to his pain, whether or not she was falling in love with him. They’d just work out all the messy details later. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d flown by the seat of her pants on a big decision. “Ok,” she mumbled around a mouthful of noodles. “If we do this, I have one condition.”

                Vegeta’s eyebrows went up a little, he was flat-out amazed that she’d decided so quickly, but not at all that she would have a condition for him. Grunting for her to continue, he gave her his full attention and waited to hear whatever insane rule she’d have regarding their marriage.

                “It would be kind of nice to know the name of the man I’m about to pairbond with.” Usagi chuckled when his eyes widened; apparently he hadn’t expected such a simple request. “What? You thought I was going to ask for the moon, big guy? Eh… I’m already the princess of it, so no need. The stars? I’m the queen of _those_. I think you’re safe from any insane requests.”

                He slowly nodded as he scooted closer to her and just barely touched his lips to hers, half expecting her to change her mind and teleport as far away as she could. “Aren’t you going to eat your supper?” She asked nervously.

                Vegeta merely shook his head and tugged her own food out of her hands, setting it to the side with the rest and then clearing the makeshift bed before taking her by the hand and pulling her further into it. “Muh—Maybe we should—w—wait a day or so—I mean—I was just with Radi—“ Usagi was sharply cut off with a hot, raw, and totally unbridled kiss as he jerked her into his arms and eased her onto her back.

                He would have no more talk of Raditz; it wasn’t like he regarded himself as sloppy seconds since he was getting to keep her forever and not just as a fling, but he definitely didn’t want the other Saiyan’s name uttered just as he was about to claim what was his. “Big guy, I—“

                He cut her off once more with another kiss as he unclasped the front of her bra to expose her, and when he broke away he moved his lips to her throat, trailing a slow path to nibble on her ear. “Vegeta,” he rasped hoarsely.

                “Vegeta… it suits you,” Usagi replied after a long moment of mulling over how right she’d been; his speaking voice was definitely as sexy as she’d imagined it. “It sounds regal.”

                He couldn’t control his purr as it started up and immediately shifted to something rich, deep and rolling, and judging by her reaction, she found it arousing. Her fingers were trailing soft patterns over the scars on his chest, his abs, his hips, then lower to stroke him hesitantly as she looked up at him timidly. “Geta… no offense… but you’re not even hard… are you sure you want this? That it’s not too soon?” She smiled a little nervously when he grunted and frowned at the nickname. “I thought it was awfully fitting, Geta. It means ‘throne’ in Malay, you know. A language from my home planet,” she elaborated.

                That seemed to placate him, and she glanced down to find him still flaccid despite the fact that her fingertips were whispering over him gently. “Am I doing something wrong, honey?”

                Vegeta slowly shook his head and sighed; he definitely wanted her and his beast wanted her, too. But he was at a loss for how to get things going when every sexual encounter he’d had over the last hundred years had been nothing but painful and traumatizing for him. Hell, what she was doing felt amazing, and while it was setting his purr to rumble even louder, her attentions weren’t getting any other response from his body. “I could… you know,” Usagi whispered, blushing brightly as she looked down and licked her lips. “In fact, that’s something I really enjoy doing,” she added with a sexy little smirk that she’d learned from Minako. “Lay down and I’ll be happy to—what? Why not?” She asked when he shook his head slowly.

                Because this was about her. He was sure of it, but his beast was being so damned insistent on taking her, biting her and pleasuring her that he was only getting steadily more confused; _how_ could he take her if he couldn’t get physically aroused!?

                Sensing his frustration, Usagi sighed and tried to give him a reassuring smile. “It’s ok, Vegeta. Come on, let’s just relax for a while. You let me know when and if you want something more than that.”

                **_But I do_** _!_ He practically whined in his own mind. With a little growl he looked down at his limp cock before flopping down on his back and huffing in pure frustration. His beast was still roaring at him, but he finally shut it up by yelling at it in his head. _Fine! You want her so badly, get it hard, asshole! Because I’m not having any fucking luck with it!_

Still tuned into his emotions, Usagi slipped out of her pants and underwear and slid in next to him, drawing his favorite blanket—the fur—up around them before she leaned in and nipped at his shoulder, curious to see his reaction to such a move.

                That purr was back again, deep and seductive, and she moved her mouth to his to kiss him lightly. “You can still bite me, Vegeta. We don’t have to actually do anything for that… or do we?” She wondered aloud.

                The fact was… yes, they did. They didn’t have to consummate the courtship mark, but it was always a good idea to do so for the female’s sake. Vegeta nodded a little and sighed before tugging her to his chest tightly and nipping at her shoulder, shivering when she gasped with pleasure and her eyes fluttered shut. He bit down a second time, a little harder that the first, and was immediately rewarded with a moan and the scent of her arousal filling the air. “Now I get it,” she whimpered. “The bite’s going to make me want to jump you, isn’t it?”

                Vegeta nodded stiffly and sighed; it was going to make him horny as hell, too… whether or not his lower anatomy would cooperate with him. Oh, fuck it. Maybe this would get things going.

                Usagi squealed a little in surprise when he suddenly rolled on top of her again, a determined  set to his jaw as he leaned down to kiss her, one hand roaming her absently as the other moved to her thighs to wrap them around his waist. He jumped when he felt her tongue flicking over his lips as she nibbled at them, and he groaned at the sensation of that sleek, warm muscle slipping into his mouth for the first time.

                It was only when he felt her hands wandering his back that he stopped; the feeling was pleasant but it was dredging up too many bad memories. “Sorry,” she whispered as she moved her hands down to his hips.

                Vegeta merely grunted and removed her hands altogether, pinning them beside her head not only so he could concentrate, but so he could steel his nerves for what was about to come. Gods, this was awkward as hell; he’d expected their first time to just be a spur of the moment, passionate coupling, but here they were simply trying to get him aroused while he fumbled through every moment of contact.

                “Vegeta… honey? Just bite me, ok?” Usagi sighed in understanding, trying her best to give him a reassuring smile. “We’ll worry about everything else afterwards.”

                He sagged on top of her and nodded into her hair wearily; he frankly hadn’t a damned clue what he was doing. Sure, he remembered sex with Bulma and he wanted that same kind of fire with Usagi, but it just wasn’t happening for him no matter how hard he tried to force it. Maybe it was his grief for his first mate that was making this so damned difficult. Who knew? He certainly didn’t.

                “Mine?” He whispered as he slowly raked his teeth over her shoulder.

                Usagi nodded and couldn’t contain a moan when he bit down just short of breaking the skin, her hands leaping to his hair to hold him in place. “Yours… … _dear gods_!” She yelped with pleasure when he growled and bit down again. “Damn it, just do it, Geta! Please!”

                There was suddenly a shot of pain through her shoulder, followed by a pleasure so intense that her vision went white for a moment, and she cried out softly as she nearly came. “Holy **_shit_** ,” she groaned. “Please, Vegeta…  now…” Usagi had **_never_** felt such a burning in her body for any man in her entire endless existence—including Raditz— and if her Saiyan prince hadn’t been pinning her down again she would have been rolling on top of him to take over. “ _Please_ ,” she begged, her voice coming out as a low whine.

                Vegeta groaned in response when he suddenly felt the constant, underlying grief wash away as it was replaced by the hum of Usagi’s thoughts in the back of his mind; she wanted him—no, _needed_ him—and she’d meant it when she’d said “now.” He choked a little in surprise and relief when he suddenly felt his body responding to her arousal, and he suspected it was due to him actually feeling her desire secondhand through the bond. But hell, he’d take whatever he could get at that point.

                It was gone in a flash when her hands were freed once more, though, and he felt them threading through his hair as she pulled him down for a long, passionate kiss. “What now?” She asked in frustration when he broke away and sighed. “Please, wild man… tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it.”

                _Hold still,_ he ordered through the bond. _Let me concentrate._      

Usagi complied and didn’t protest when he placed her hands above her head before he bit down on her mark once more. They both moaned together at that, her from another wave of ecstasy and he from just the taste of her, then again as they both felt him hardening against her lower stomach. “I think we’ve got it,” she whispered with happy anticipation.

She moved her hips in invitation then… and groaned when he suddenly lost his erection. “Killing me, here.”

Vegeta huffed in complete and utter frustration as he sagged on top of her, at a loss as to how he’d consummate the bond without a hard on. _Sorry, Usagi._

“Ugh… it’s alright, big guy. Don’t worry about it,” she replied gently as the driving need began to fade a little. “I’ll live. Just don’t bite me again unless you’re prepared to do something about it,” she added with a giggle.


	10. Chapter 10

Usagi sighed and snuggled in closely to the scent of a fire on a cold night, nuzzling a rock-hard chest as she felt a pair of soft lips running over her shoulder. “Why does that feel so good, big guy?”

 _Dunno. I’m sure it’s in that book,_ he replied silently as he simply enjoyed the feeling of holding a female he was bound to, running his lips up and down her throat as he used his hands to gently pet her. The bond was helping the aversion to contact; he could sense every move she was about to make before she even did it, could feel her intentions so that he was positive that she meant him no harm.

He almost felt normal again. He could even think about Bulma as she would have wanted to be remembered; with love and a smile… and an occasional hint of annoyance, rather than a bout of violent sobbing every time she even crossed his mind. _I don’t know if I said it… but thank you, Usagi._

 _Don’t mention it,_ she replied sleepily, followed by a little happy noise as he ran his fingertips down her spine and began to purr quietly.

The newly-bound pair simply relaxed in the early dawn light for an hour until the sun began to peek through the windows. Vegeta was the first to rise out of a desperate need to pee, and Usagi giggled at the sight of morning wood. “I’d suggest something else you could do with that, but… I don’t want a replay of last night. We’ll wait,” she assured him when he looked down and sighed, followed by a gaze of longing towards his new mate. “When you’re ready for intimacy, I’m sure you’ll let me know, Geta. Go pee,” she snorted, giving him a little wave towards the bathroom. “I can sense that your eyes are floating.”

Vegeta actually smirked at that and nodded, marveling not for the first time at the complete reversal in his luck during the last two months. Not only was he rescued, but he was rescued by the most beautiful, patient being in the universe. Likely the only being in the universe that would have tolerated him and his distrust for so long and still stuck with him.

“After so much bad luck, you deserve the best luck available for the next couple hundred years,” Usagi mused aloud when he returned. “So… what do you want to do today? Train? Relax? After the hangover I had when I woke yesterday at Broly’s, I think I just want to be lazy today. Heh… now I know why Turles won’t quit drinking. I think the cumulative hangover would fucking kill him!” She laughed.

 _No, come with me,_ he ordered, already striding out the door.

“Huh… ok?” Usagi pulled on her pants from the night before and a tank top before meeting him outside. “Do you want to spar or something?”

Vegeta motioned for her to sit directly across from him, and he waited patiently while she did as she was told, crossing her legs beneath her. _I promised to teach you to fly, remember?_ Even with the bond, he wasn’t quite ready for the hug that came as Usagi leapt into his arms and wrapped hers around him tightly, and he panicked a little in the embrace.

“Sorry!” Usagi said quickly as she half-pulled away, half-got-shoved out of his lap.

Despite how well she hid the hurt look in her eyes, Vegeta could still feel it through the bond and sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment as he calmed himself down and shoved down his fight-or-flight response. _Come here, woman,_ he finally grunted, tugging her back into his naked lap to bend his head to hers and kiss her.

He’d meant it to be a gentle apology, but his beast was quickly taking over and rising to the surface, tipping her back onto the grass as the kiss became hot and raw, his teeth nipping at her lower lip as he sought entry with his tongue. Usagi opened to him immediately, moaning softly as he rocked his partial arousal into the juncture of her thighs and one of his hands stroked over her mark slowly, lighting a fire in her lower belly. _Please…_ she begged through the bond. _Please Vegeta, please don’t stop…_

 _Usa… I want you so badly but… I’m not sure if I can…_ Vegeta pulled away, panting for breath as he rubbed at his forehead and tried not to tremble from a sudden horrific memory of being chained and taken during his first week in captivity. They’d nearly killed him that time, had ruptured something deep inside of him, and it had taken three physicians to keep him alive under a threat of death from Arctic if they couldn’t do it.

_“I’m not through with him by a longshot. Your lives are tied to his, now. If he dies, so do you. I expect him healthy in a standard day.”_

His savior brought him out of it with a gentle shake and a caress to his face. “Geta… it’s ok. They will _never_ touch you again,” she swore with a protective little growl. “I swear it. They have to get through me, first. And I promise you, you haven’t even _tasted_ the full extent of my power. I’d slaughter every last one of them in less than a minute.”

 _“Why?”_ He asked aloud, trembling at the sound of his own voice and at the subject of being captured once more.

“Because it’s what I do,” Usagi replied simply. “And because I care about you. A lot,” she added with a slight coloring to her cheeks. “Does the why matter so much as long as you trust me, Vegeta? It’s not even a question of them killing me to get to you, honey. They simply won’t get to you. I’d never let it happen. You **_do_** trust me, right?”

A long moment passed before he gave her a timid nod. “Yes.”

Twining her fingers with his, Usagi brushed her mouth over his before resting his head against her shoulder so he could breathe in her scent. “Then just relax… _r’sha_. I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear it by the moon and stars.”

It took over an hour, but Vegeta was finally calm enough to resume what they’d originally come outside to do. Nonetheless, they were interrupted before Usagi could even make her first attempt at lifting herself off the ground with her ki.

 _What?_ He asked when Usagi’s head went up and she started looking around in surprise.

“I… huh. I thought I sensed… something.” She stood and shielded her eyes with her hand as she scanned the sky, but came up with nothing. “What about you, wild man? You feel anything out of the ordinary?”

Vegeta blinked and stood slowly before using his ability to sense ki, stretching it out beyond the little planet, and immediately fell to his knees and drew into himself in reaction to what he found.

And in reaction to Vegeta, Usagi instantly transformed into Cosmos and held her hand over the prince. “Silent Wall… _nothing_ can touch you through that shield, Vegeta. You’re completely, totally secure. You said you trusted me, right?”

The cowering Prince of all Saiyans looked up and his upper lip lifted in a silent snarl at the sight of Cosmos, but her weary sigh and the feeling of her emotional pain through the bond made him relax into a sitting position and finally nod. Silver or gold, she was still his mate, and she had sworn never to let any harm come to him. He would trust her. “ _R’sha_.”

She smiled at that and nodded just as a spacepod crashed into the landscape a few hundred yards away. “Ugh… not only do they have to just show up unannounced… but they have to fuck up my lawn, too?” With a wave of her hand, the pod was resting in a perfect green field and no longer in a crater, while the two men climbing out of it looked around in confusion. “I fixed it!” She yelled over to them. “And I’d ask you not to leave a hole in my home again!” Cosmos rolled her eyes a little when they just blinked at her in surprise. “Well, at least they missed the hot spring,” she mumbled in annoyance. “How about a nice long soak after this, Geta? I know that I’ll probably need one.”

Vegeta merely looked up at her, purely amazed at her total lack of fear despite what these two guards had done to him. He knew what they could do, yet she was completely unfazed by their presences.

“You can use your ki now, if you’ve forgotten, Vegeta,” she reminded him gently. “Are they stronger than you without the collar?” Cosmos smiled gently when his eyes went wide and he slowly stood, stepping forward so that they were side by side. “I told you there was no reason to be afraid anymore. Hell, you don’t even need me to blow them away for you,” she snorted as she detransformed.

“Wow, you’re even hotter like that!” One of the men in armor exclaimed as they approached. “Well, we’re all going to have an awful fun time with you when Lord Arctic’s done with whatever punishment he has in mind. If you’d simply broken out the little prince he would have likely overlooked your transgression, but the whole prison section? Oh hell, no.”

“Especially all of the Saiyans,” the second guard added. “So… what’s it going to be, lady? The easy way or the hard way? Not that we ain’t spoiling for a fight, but we’ve got somewhere to be.”

Usagi held out an arm to stop Vegeta for a moment and cocked her head as if in deep thought. “Tell you boys what… I’ll give you one chance to get the hell off of my planet and to go tell Arctic never to bother any of the Saiyans again. And if you _don’t_ … you’ll be very, _very_ sorry.”

“You and what army’s going to make us sorry, lady?”

“We don’t need an army,” she replied smugly. “Hell, we don’t even need me. I’m pretty sure Prince Vegeta can handle you little bastards by himself. Do you want to?” She added, directed at her patient. “I’ll step off if you’d like.”

The old Vegeta would have shoved her aside and stepped forward to take care of business, but this new Vegeta was hesitant to face the men that had helped torture him for years. Frankly… he was too afraid of them, even without the collar dampening his ki.

 _You sure you don’t want a piece?_ Usagi asked softly when he tipped his head towards her. Nodding in understanding when he took a small step back, she transformed once again and simply flicked her hand out, flattening both warriors with a wave of silver power. “There. They’re dead. I’m surprised you passed up the chance to get a little revenge, Geta. Oh well.” Another flick of wrist and they were gone and buried, their spacepod along with them.

                She sighed when Vegeta stepped back from her a little and felt a pang of heartache at his subtle rejection of her. He was afraid of her again. They all were after they’d seen how easily she could kill. Some more than others. Raditz had only been slightly intimidated by her power, but he’d left, too, just like all the others had. She couldn’t totally blame them, though. She knew how scary she could seem when she was angered, even though she’d never hurt anyone that hadn’t truly deserved it for committing some unspeakable act of evil.

Hell, she even gave them all a chance to change their ways and leave. A few of them took it, but most of them rose to the challenge before she promptly put them in their place. “I always kill them painlessly,” she whispered under her breath, “but that never seems to matter.”

Vegeta felt her completely block him out of the bond before she simply vanished from sight and he flopped on the ground and sighed heavily. He’d been afraid of her from the beginning, so what was the big deal? It wasn’t the fact that she’d just wasted two guys in the blink of an eye; hell, he’d killed millions in one blast… hadn’t he? Yes. Something in his mind told him that he had, a long, long time ago, even before Bulma.

He hadn’t been afraid of her. He’d simply been wary of Cosmos, just as he always had. Didn’t she get that? Or… had so many men she’d cared for all rejected her over the same issue? Yes, that was it, he’d sensed something like that through the bond before she’d shut him out.

He sighed again as he sat up and searched for her ki, but he couldn’t find it anywhere on the small planet that he was quickly coming to think of as home. _I touched a sore spot,_ he thought with regret. _I hurt her._

 _Usagi?_ He thought towards her, hoping she’d hear him. _I’m sorry,_ r’sha _._

##############################

“You look like you need a drink.” Other than that, Turles was silent as he sat down in the black sand next to the guardian of the universe and handed her the bottle that was his constant companion.

He and his brother had both felt her ki when she’d arrived, but since she hadn’t come straight to them, Turles had convinced Raditz to sit tight— especially when he’d sensed something was wrong with her energy signature—and had promised to bring her back with him if she was simply visiting. Scooting closer to her, Turles wrapped his arm and tail around her waist and purred gently in comfort as she drank deeply and wiped at her tears, only to drink again. “Ok, little rabbit. You’ve had enough,” Turles told her gently, carefully extracting the bottle from her hands when she’d drunk over half of it. “You need to be sober enough to go back and let him apologize, don’t you?”

“Not going back,” she sniffled stubbornly into her folded arms.

“Yeah, _sure_ ,” Turles snorted. “And I’m King-fuckin’-Vegeta. You’re telling me that you’re going to leave him to fend for himself… wherever it is you’ve got him? Tell me, is he still running around bare-ass naked, too? What happens when winter comes?” He took a drink and continued when she clamped her mouth shut and glared out across the ocean. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Hop along, little rabbit. Especially now that he’s marked you.”

“Why should I? He’s afraid of me. Just like all of the others. I swore after Raditz that I wouldn’t go through this again, Turles. And I won’t. I was stupid as hell to let myself feel anything for Vegeta, only for him to be horrified by how much power is at my disposal. They’re all scared of it, they all run, and—“

“Raditz didn’t run because of **_that_** ,” Turles snorted with a roll of his eyes. “Raditz ran because he’s _Raditz_. He wasn’t scared of your power; he was fucking terrified of commitment. From the horse’s mouth, I swear it on my tail,” he added when Usagi stared at him in disbelief. “He’s Saiyan. Same as Vegeta. We’re not scared of power; hell, we’re _attracted_ to it!” He snickered. “There’s nothing hotter than a woman that can kick my ass, I’m telling you.” He winked down at her then and tightened his tail a little. “Hell, if you weren’t marked and my big brother wasn’t head over heels for you, I’d stake my own damned claim before you had the chance to run, Rabbit.”

“Um… uh… flattered,” she managed shyly, blushing to her collar.

“Hey, any Saiyan would want you, so like I said… don’t worry about him being afraid of _you_. He’s been beaten to within an inch of his life for the last hundred years, woman. He’s likely afraid of _everything_.”

“Thank you,” Usagi sighed, wiping at the last of her tears. “I think somewhere inside I knew that, it’s just that he touched on a really sore spot for me. I reacted before I’d thought about it from his point of view.”

“Anytime.”

“You know what, Turles? You need like… a tutu and a sparkly wand, and you could be the magical rum fairy. Something tells me you were passed out at the counter, hungover, and when I popped in it was like you sensed that I needed a drink,” she giggled.

“What can I say, Rabbit? It’s a gift. I felt a disturbance in the fabric of the universe, and I cried, ‘I hear the sound of a breaking heart! I must drown their sorrows in alcohol!’”

“Don’t lose that sense of humor, Turles,” Usagi laughed, pecking him on the cheek. “You’re going to make some woman a very good mate one day.”

“Nah. I have only _one_ lady, and she’s drowning at the bottom of this bottle… I must drink to save her,” he chuckled. He expected another laugh from his newest little drinking buddy, but when he looked up, she was gone. “Oh well, she’ll be back when he pisses her off again,” he snorted.

########################

Vegeta flew at top speed the moment he felt Usagi’s ki reappear on their little planet, and landed gracefully at the edge of the hot spring, where she was soaking, her eyes closed. And he could smell the rum on her… and was that **_another male_**!? **_AGAIN_**!?

“Washing off the scent,” she said absently without even opening her eyes. “And no. Turles happened to show up with a bottle of rum and got me pleasantly drunk while he convinced me to come back.”

Convinced her? She wasn’t going to come back!? That stopped Vegeta cold for a very long moment before he finally slipped into the spring and yanked her tightly to his chest, growling and purring simultaneously as his mouth crashed into hers, his tongue immediately seeking entry as his hands wandered her possessively.

His beast was on a jealous roll as it breathed in Turles’s scent mixed with her own and it wanted nothing more than to get his musk all over her in a clear warning to any other males. She was his, damn it, and no one else’s, and his inner Saiyan was _not_ going to tolerate her leaving him.

Vegeta pressed her back against the edge of the spring as he deepened the kiss and felt the half-bond gradually open back up as she melted into him and whimpered and moaned with pleasure, her fingers buried in his hair to pull him closer as her legs wrapped around his waist. “Mine,” he whispered between kisses, fighting like hell to keep an erection as her hands wandered his back.

“Yours,” she agreed breathlessly, her mouth moving from his to nip and kiss down his jawline to his throat. “Make love to me, Geta… please… I want you inside of me…”

He groaned with desire at the sound of those words, but his body still wasn’t cooperating as her lips and tongue traced the scars on his chest and she whimpered and lifted her hips, desperately seeking him out. _Want you too, but…_

Usagi went limp and let out a long, shuddering sigh when he stopped and grunted in frustration. “It’ll take time, Vegeta. It’s ok, really. My offer still stands, you know, if you’d like me to—“ She was cut off by a vigorous shake of his head. “I know, I know,” she assured him, “just letting you know that the offer’s on the table if you change your mind, that’s all.”

He sagged next to her and echoed her sigh of disappointment as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Sorry.”

“It takes time, Vegeta,” she repeated.

“No,” he grunted. He swallowed hard and licked his lips as he formed another word. “For…” _I’m not afraid of you,_ r’sha _. I just don’t feel comfortable with your other form. I haven’t from the beginning, you know this._

“Well, that’ll take time too,” she replied in understanding. “And I’m sorry that I assumed… you know. Just bad memories, that’s all.”

Vegeta felt another wave of guilt at the thought of hurting her and nipped at her shoulder. “Home.” He lifted her and dried them with his ki as she transformed, and in the blink of an eye they were back at the house and he was placing her carefully among his blankets, kissing her tenderly the moment she shifted back into Usagi.

“Geta, I know you’re not ready, so stop trying to force it,” she said softly, tracing his cheekbone with her fingers. “But I appreciate the thought, I really do.”

 _I want to try, Usagi… for you. To prove I’m not afraid. Let me try,_ he whispered in her mind, unaware of the edge of the seduction to his voice, the same tone he’d always used with Bulma in private. Vegeta felt her submission as she relaxed beneath him and sighed his name between slow, easy kisses, both of their hands gently exploring each other’s bare flesh as the scent of their mutual arousal filled the air around them.

But it just wasn’t happening, apparently, when after a half-hour of making out he was still limp as a wet noodle. “Sorry,” he finally groaned in defeat, sagging into the blankets beside her.

“It’s ok,” Usagi huffed, more than a little disappointed at the sudden lack of contact.

The next week went by much like that day, minus the uninvited guests and Usagi disappearing to drown her sorrows with Turles. Every few hours of every day, Vegeta would pounce on her and try his damnedest to claim her physically, and every day they wound up in a sweaty, unfulfilled heap, panting with desire but neither of them finding any relief.

Usagi was starting to get ridiculously frustrated, he could tell, but no matter what he tried—slow, hard, gentle, intense—he just couldn’t seem to get things going down south. The worst day was when he did manage an erection, only for it to fail miserably the moment he’d attempted to thrust into her.

That had been two days prior, and Vegeta had left her alone for a full day after to simply give her a break from the lack of results while he thought over every intimate moment they’d shared since he’d bitten her. The more he went over it in his mind, the more he was positive that it was the extra contact that was shutting him down.

She wouldn’t be able to touch him. Hell, they probably wouldn’t even be able to kiss. Every moment when he’d achieved even a semi-arousal only to lose it, he’d lost it when she’d touched his back, gripped his hips, or threaded her fingers through his hair.

But if she couldn’t touch him, how in the hell was he supposed to get aroused? Hm… Vegeta thought about that and easily found the solution; he’d simply delve into the little fantasies about him that she was constantly imagining nearly every hour of the day. They’d given each other plenty of privacy through the bond, but both of them had made it clear that they were welcome to view the other’s thoughts and emotions if they wanted to.

Vegeta was in the shower later that night when he finally did it, and he nearly did a dance of joy to see himself standing proudly in the air, fully aroused and ready to go. The contact was it, he was convinced now! A fantasy of taking Usagi, pinned to the shower wall and totally immobile had finally made his beast practically sing as it purred happily at the thought and rose to the surface.

Now… to track her the fuck down and take her before he lost it again.


	11. Chapter 11

“Geta?” Usagi asked as she entered the dark house, on her way back from the hot spring. Hearing no response, she closed the door quietly behind her and toweled off her hair before slipping on a nightgown from her subspace and using her good sense of direction to find his little nest on the floor.

She’d thought him already asleep since he’d seemed to have given up on claiming her, which honestly surprised her. “Never thought him the type to just give up,” she breathed quietly, but when she couldn’t seem to find him in the blankets she stood and moved back towards the door. “Geta?” She called outside. “You alright?”

Usagi shook her head in confusion when she couldn’t find him at all, even through the bond, and wondered if she’d done something wrong that day to drive him off. “Maybe it was the other day,” she worried aloud. “Maybe that’s why he hasn’t really touched me. Damn it… I hope he’s alright… maybe I should go out and—“ She shrieked then as her hands were snapped up beside her head, but the sound of a soft purr made her relax. “Gods, you scared the shit out of me!” She squeaked out as she fought to breathe. “Why is the bond nearly closed!?”

 _Sorry,_ he chuckled _. Element of surprise._

Usagi stared up in the pitch in confusion, his purr and the way he was posturing himself sending her totally mixed signals.  “What? I didn’t do anything wrong… did I?” She sighed when he only continued to purr and she felt his mouth nip at her cloth-covered shoulder. “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too fucking much?”

Usagi couldn’t swear to it, but right then there was a glimmer of something through the bond that told her that he was mildly amused by her words, despite the fact that he’d mostly shut her out. “Well? What do you want? I’m tired; I want to go to bed.” He suddenly used his full body to press her to the wall and her eyes widened at the hardness pushing into her lower stomach, her throat flexing as she swallowed. “Well… that answers the question of what you want, doesn’t it?” She asked a little nervously.

After a full minute of neither of them moving a muscle, Usagi realized that he was waiting for her permission. She didn’t expect it from him since he knew that she wanted him, but that was progress at least, right? With her in her current form, he could have simply had his way and she wouldn’t have been able to fight him in the slightest if she were unwilling. “Ok… wow, I have to give you credit, Geta. You really got your flag a-flyin’ this time.”

Vegeta grunted in agreement as he slowly ground himself into her core, keeping her hands pinned as he felt himself grow impossibly harder. _Want you now, Usagi._

 “Bed?” She whispered nervously. Gods, she’d seen him hard in the mornings, but this… what she was feeling now… the mornings _clearly_ hadn’t done the man justice. _Thank the gods… **every** god, that I’m not a virgin, _ she mused to herself.

She blinked in surprise when he didn’t move and he shook his head, followed by a slow grind of his hips against hers. Ok, she got it. He wanted her here and now. No waiting. Likely it had something to do with wanting to take her in neutral territory, and not anywhere that he had labeled in his mind as his or hers. Maybe this was his method of being able to perform.

Vegeta continued to wait, and was about to back off out of concern for scaring her, but she spoke again before he could release her arms.  “Ok… I only ask that you don’t hurt me. Alright?”

Usagi was a bit surprised when he actually gave her a hoarse grunt before releasing her hands and pushing the hem of her nightgown to her hips. When she lowered her hands to his shoulders, however, he gave her a light growl of warning and she huffed and rolled her eyes. “Seriously? We’re about to have wall sex and I’m not allowed to touch you?” Usagi relented when she caught the smallest hint of fear through the bond, and realized something that should have been obvious from the get-go.

Contact. It was the contact that was making him unable to perform. “You’re in control,” she whispered, lowering her hands to her sides. Kissing was probably out of the question too, much to her dismay. She’d wanted him for days, yes, but… she’d been hoping for a little foreplay of some kind before they got to the point and she had to deal with what she was sure would be more than just mild discomfort. She wouldn’t ask, though, she’d wait for him to show her what he was comfortable with. “Just don’t hurt me with that thing.”

With that, he smoothly lifted her against him with one arm wrapped under her bottom, and she obligingly wound her legs around his waist as he pressed his entry, careful to remember to keep her hands down. “It’s alright,” she said gently when his breathing grew a little ragged and she felt him begin to tremble; she moved her hips slightly in invitation to prove that she meant what she said, and Usagi couldn’t help but gasp as he began to fill her slowly. Damn it if he wasn’t big, and he was stretching her quite a bit more than even Raditz had.

 _That’s because he’s third class,_ Vegeta snorted with amusement. _I’m first class. Every inch of me,_ r’sha _._

“I’ve noticed,” she squeaked. A hitch in her breathing stopped him, and she fought to relax, resting her forehead on his chest as she tried not to tense up at the discomfort between her thighs. “Sorry… I’m not very wet,” she whispered, her flush of embarrassment travelling down to the tops of her breasts. Usagi nodded when he pressed forward once more, despite the twinge of pain she felt, followed by a sigh of gratitude when he immediately stopped. “And you’re just really… um… first class,” she admitted.

Vegeta grunted and waited, not too sure what to do. But after a full minute he decided to take a chance and he slid a hand up her nightgown, letting it wander to gently stroke her bare skin as he just barely brushed his lips over hers.      

 Ok. It seemed that touching her wasn’t effecting his arousal; it was only her touching him that shut him down. She seemed to gradually respond to that, and he felt a wash of relief when he reached her breast and she made a small sound of pleasure.

“I wish you’d let me touch you,” she whispered breathlessly, arching her breast fully into his palm. “Or at least open the bond.” Usagi moved her hips again and whimpered a little in reaction to the feel of him pushing into her once more; the feeling of his hands on her and his hot breath on her neck had her growing wetter by the second. “I think I’m ready, honey.” She looked up at him and relaxed as he pressed forward once more, and within moments he was filling her with no pain on her part. “I’m fine,” she assured him.

She felt his eyes flutter shut against her throat when he began to move steadily, his breathing fast and labored as a series of husky groans erupted from his mouth. He didn’t last long, of that she wasn’t surprised, but when he came with a shudder and a hoarse cry, she was startled to feel him collapse against her, both of them sliding to the floor.

It had just started to feel good for her too when he’d suddenly reached his peak, but Usagi didn’t hold it against him. This had been about his pleasure anyway— _his healing_ — not hers… maybe he’d want more later and they’d take care of her desires then.

“You alright?” She asked softly, finally moving one of her hands to tip his face up, her thumb stroking slowly over his cheek. “You didn’t hurt me, big guy. It’s ok,” she assured him with a smile, followed by a slow and careful lowering of her mouth to his.

The kiss was brief, but soft, and she sensed his surprise at the action before she pulled away. The bond was cracking back open and she could feel how he’d expected her to be upset with him, but that was hardly the case. “Come on… I’m tired, and I’m pretty sure you are, too. Why don’t you share the bed with me tonight instead of sleeping on the floor, hm? I know all too well how hard that floor is, even with all the bedding on it.”

With a few more gentle words and some patient coaxing, Usagi finally got him to the bed and climbed in slowly, scooting all the way over so that he could join her. “Come on, just don’t freak out if you wind up being snuggled in the middle of the night… you know how I tend to get cold easy and curl up beside you,” she teased. “What?” She asked when he continued to stand there. “Come on, you know it’s warmer with someone else under the covers. It’s nicer, too. Nothing bad will happen, honey, I swear it,” she finished with an understanding whisper.

Slowly—ever so slowly—he climbed into the bed with her, but didn’t slip under the covers. Instead, he reached over and tugged at her nightgown. “Ah… now I understand why you didn’t want to—” Usagi couldn’t help but giggle when he suddenly kissed her, and when he pulled away she lifted her arms to let him tug the nightgown over her head. “Talking too much again?” She teased.

Vegeta nodded briefly before kissing her once more, nibbling at her lower lip as he slowly drew away, wondering for a moment if she’d let him take her again so soon… but no. He’d wait until morning; they’d both had a long day and needed to rest.

Now that his paranoia was satisfied and he was sure she wasn’t able to conceal any weapons beneath any clothing, he laid down facing her and drew the covers up around them both. It wasn’t until long after she’d closed her eyes and her breathing had deepened and slowed that he allowed himself to close his own, but not before reaching out and brushing a few stray hairs from her face and gently tracing her mark with his fingertips.

He woke a few hours later with a jolt when he felt something warm and soft pressing against him, and nearly leapt out of the bed until her words came back to him. ‘Don’t freak out if you wind up being snuggled in the middle of the night.’ He forced himself to relax despite the slight trembling in his hands. It was the fact that he wasn’t sleeping in his territory that was setting him off more than anything, and Usagi had seemed to realize that when she’d reminded him in advance about the snuggling.

But she was naked, she didn’t have any weapons, and she was totally asleep, he reminded himself.

She couldn’t do him any harm… and he _knew_ she _wouldn’t_ do him any harm, even given the chance. He had to keep reminding himself of that nearly every time she touched him, but less so since he’d bitten her. And after all… hadn’t she just surrendered her body to him in total trust and given him pleasure without taking any for herself? Such a show of trust and selflessness on her part surely warranted the same from him… right?

Forcing himself to relax with every ounce of willpower he possessed, he carefully pulled her tightly to him and kept his arm snugly around her waist, fighting down a flash of memory that came to him—in it, he was holding Bulma in the same manner… and she’d had the exact same eyes as the current female breathing lightly against his chest. No… he didn’t want to remember anymore, damn it. The memories hurt… and he was tired of hurting.

So tired.

#######################

Usagi sleepily opened her eyes to find her wild man simply watching her in the early dawn light, and managed a tiny smile. “You didn’t wind up running back to the floor. Good. Sorry if my cuddling bothered you. You know I can’t help it,” she sighed, closing her eyes once more as she rested her head against his chest and noticed with mild surprise that he was actually holding her, his arms wrapped tightly around her naked body.

She chuckled and shook her head when she felt his hips press to hers suggestively, something large and hard brushing against her inner thigh. Cracking her eyes open, she found him looking down at her, waiting patiently for her to either reject him or give him the go-ahead, and she slowly nodded in response. “If that’s what you want, Mister-First-Class… I don’t mind.”

However, she sighed when he rolled on top of her and immediately pinned her hands to either side of her head. “You can still be in control and let me touch you,” she whispered. The hands on her wrists loosened and pulled away, but he slowly shook his head as he lifted her hips a little and entered her as hesitantly as he had the night before, a hitch in his breath as he filled her.

“It’s ok,” she assured him when he froze at the sound of a soft gasp from her mouth. “You’re just really big, Vegeta… could you… um… go slow? I’m a little sore from last night,” she added with a blush. “I don’t mean to order you around, sorry.”

But he nodded in response slowly; she’d only asked that he not hurt her and nothing else, when she could have simply denied him such intimacy or demanded something from him in return. But she hadn’t; she’d simply given herself to him with no expectations and the mere thought made his chest rumble in a seductive purr. So he carefully flexed his hips once, then twice, and waited for her approval before continuing. But he froze when after a minute he heard her make a strange noise. _What’s wrong,_ r’sha _?_ He asked with a large touch of worry through the bond.

“I’m fine,” she whispered with a lift of her hips, gazing up at him with lust-glazed eyes. “You’re _not_ hurting me, Vegeta… don’t stop…”

He watched her as the blue eyes he found so captivating fluttered shut and she uttered a low moan, her hands clutching at the sheets above her head for leverage as she began to gently move in time with him. He found the sight unbelievably arousing, but he stopped again when she let out a soft cry and stiffened against him. “I was about to come,” she whimpered, fighting the urge to lower her hands to his hips and jerk him down to her. “ _Please_ don’t stop,” she begged in desperation, “you feel so good, Geta.”

Usagi whimpered once more when he studied her and didn’t move, and lifted her hips in a silent plea for more. When that didn’t work she changed her tack. “ _Please_ …? May I come?” She whispered breathlessly. “You’re still in control, Geta, I swear it. Just _please_ don’t stop.”

Someone else taking their pleasure had always meant his own pain in the past… but she wasn’t hurting him. She had never hurt him. And due to the bond, Vegeta was finally, **_totally_** sure that she would _never_ hurt him given the chance. He felt her flex around him slightly and drew in a sharp breath at the sensation, and that delicious feeling made up his mind. He decided it was only fair that his mate enjoy him as much—if not more—than he was enjoying her, and he began to move again after giving her a nod.

He didn’t stop when she suddenly went rigid and cried out once more, and he found himself groaning at the sensation of her tightening around him as she bucked and moaned. And it felt _wonderful_.

_Holy shit, Usagi…_

_I know, Geta… feels so good… don’t stop,_ r’sha _…_

He was having a hard time getting over the fact that her pleasure wasn’t causing him pain, but giving him his own in return. Once he’d gotten over his amazement his purr reached a new level, signaling his happiness and desire to pleasure her even further, and he let the tension melt from his body as he continued to thrust into her slowly. _Won’t stop… come for me again…_

Recalling the night before, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers, just as she’d done to him after he’d taken his pleasure, but he jumped a little when she moaned and returned it passionately. He knew she liked to kiss, though, and so far it didn’t seem to be affecting his ability to perform. Maybe it would help her come again if he continued?

He gasped when he felt her tongue flick out over his mouth, but the slight parting of his lips gave her the access she sought, and he groaned in response to the sensation of her tongue brushing over his own. He definitely expected that to make him lose his erection, but it seemed to only be adding to his pleasure and soon he was taking control of it, devouring her mouth with his own, ignoring a memory that was trying to come to him as he concentrated on only the wonderful, soft ecstasy washing through him like a healing balm, erasing thoughts of pain and anguish and years of torture.

He let go when she bucked once more and tightened and joined her in nirvana as their moans mingled into each other’s mouths. “That was wonderful… definitely worth the wait,” she whispered between kisses, gurgling with pleasure when he responded with a little thrust and a pleased growl. “Tease,” she giggled when he did it again.

He jumped when he felt her hands on him, and went taut from head to toe in reaction to the soft touch; one hand stroking down his jawline and the other down his back. Sensing his distrust through the gradually reopening bond, Usagi sighed and moved her hands back to her sides, her eyes a little sad as she looked up at him. “Sorry… I just… I only wanted to…”

He felt the oddest twinge of emotion at the knowledge that he’d ruined her good mood; was that… guilt? Even stranger than that unbidden emotion, he found himself going over different ways to make it better. But he wasn’t quite ready to be freely touched during sex, not quite yet.

Usagi sighed when he licked his lips and swallowed, the glint in his eyes telling her that he wanted something. “Yeah?”

“ _R’sha_.”

Usagi felt him jump slightly in reaction to hearing his own voice and leaned up to kiss him softly. “Yes, Geta. And I’m yours, too.”

He slowly lifted her hand from the bed and drew it over, kissing the back of her knuckles. “ _R’sha_ ,” he said again, once more jumping at the resonance of his own voice.

She was floored when he placed her hand on his chest and moved his own to rest between her breasts, licking his lips nervously as he opened and closed his mouth several times. “Usagi,” he whispered, still tensing in wait for the lash, expecting retaliation for speaking.

She sensed why he was recoiling at the sound of his own voice and flexed around him, rewarding him for speaking with a small wave of pleasure. She felt him shiver in response and nodded slowly. “I don’t mind if you want me again, Vegeta,” she breathed softly as she felt him beginning to harden inside of her. “I can even be on top if you’re tired,” she offered. She nodded in understanding when he growled a little, and stroked him with the hand still lying on his chest, tracing the definition of the muscles and the numberless scars that covered him. “Just an offer, that’s all,” she assured him. “I’m fine with being on bottom. Is this… ok?” She added, nodding to the delicate, feminine hand stroking him absently.

With visible trembling, Vegeta removed her other hand from the sheets and laid it on his hip, and gasped with pleasure when she flexed around him again. He wasn’t stupid, he knew exactly what she was doing; she was making him associate pleasure with speaking and touching. And he couldn’t help but look forward to another little reward for it despite his hesitancy.

Usagi smiled and bent her mouth to his chest to trace his scars with the tip of her tongue, moving slowly so as not to spook him, and made a happy noise when he whispered her name. She rewarded him with more, trailing her lips up his throat, her hands moving to his back to trace his spine. She stopped when she reached a large, circular scar and he jumped and stiffened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Vegeta merely grunted; it had felt good… really good, and he’d been totally unprepared for it. “Tail,” he breathed hoarsely. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment as her fingertip traced the edge of it, and he shivered as she began to focus on that one spot, feathering her nails over it slowly.

Usagi blinked, more surprised that she’d forgotten about his missing tail. Of course he would have had a tail! He was _Saiyan_ ; they all had fuzzy brown or black tails! And her experience with Raditz had taught her that it could be a _very_ useful tool in bed.

“Would you like it back?” She asked slowly. “I could probably regrow your tail if you’d like, Vegeta. But I’d have to shift back into Cosmos for that, and I know you prefer this form. Don’t know why, but…” She shrugged; it didn’t really matter why. She blinked when he pointed at her eyes. “Oh. You like the color or something?” She smiled when he gave her the slightest of nods, and continued to brush her fingertips over the scar on his lower back. “I’ll stay like this, then… even though I’m a lot weaker. You let me know when and if you want your tail back, ok?”

So… she finally admitted what he’d suspected. She _was_ weaker in this form than the one he’d woken to that first day. He didn’t know if it was fate or dumb luck that had given her eyes that he trusted, but her transformation to this petite golden goddess had been the smartest thing she could have done and hoped to have them both live through what had happened if she hadn’t. _More?_ He confirmed, giving her a little thrust.

Usagi wanted nothing more than to roll him onto his back and really show him some pleasure, but she knew he wasn’t ready for that and simply nodded and smiled, satisfied that she could at least touch him. That in itself was a huge step for him, in her mind. “As much as you want, Vegeta,” she whispered up at him before continuing to trace his scars with the tip of her tongue. “I’ll never deny you my body.”

She was moaning again in moments, trying to focus through her own ecstasy in order to heighten his, but when he tipped her chin up to slant his mouth over hers and moved a little harder, she lost all control and was suddenly clutching at his back.

Vegeta tried not to flinch at the contact, but when her nails bit slightly into his skin he stiffened and fought for air, his cock immediately deflating inside of her. _Can’t,_ he rasped, his mental voice shaking as violently as his hands.

Usagi nodded hurriedly, burning up from the lack of movement and wanting nothing more than to feel him continuing. “Don’t stop,” she begged, her voice a helpless little whimper as her fingertips whispered over his hips, his chest, then came to rest on the sheets.

Now that she wasn’t touching him—and more importantly, he could actually see where her hands were—Vegeta found himself able to perform after a few moments of waiting, and his lips crashed into hers when she cried out in response to the renewed movements inside of her. “Mine,” he growled savagely, his purr starting up as she tightened and moaned his name, her knuckles white as she gripped the cloth beneath them.

“Yours!” She yelped in response to a rough thrust, the mix of pain and pleasure sending her right over the edge again with a hoarse cry. Usagi whimpered in disappointment when he suddenly stopped, but she understood when he gripped her hips and flipped her.

Only he was shoving her back onto her stomach the moment she tried to climb onto her knees for him, and she gasped and struggled in panic for a second when he held her down, closed her legs, and pressed his entry once more. “Geta! Please, no! I’m totally **_not_** into anal!”

Vegeta’s deep laugh, coupled with that dark, seductive, rolling purr made her shiver and relax as he nipped at her mark and shook his head. _I’m not into that either. At all. Just hold still, Usagi. This will feel good._

Usagi trembled in anticipation when he placed her arms over her head, smoothing his hands down her body until she was completely flat against the sheets, her legs still closed as he straddled her and carefully placed himself at her entrance. “Easy,” she gasped as he pushed forward, “dear gods… Geta, you’re too big like this—I don’t think I can—“

Then he bit down on her mark with a vicious growl and she moaned loudly, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the sheets above her and her hips jerked up involuntarily. “Ok! Yours! I get it!” With a gasp as he pushed forward to fill her, Usagi went as still as possible and marveled that she’d actually taken him to the hilt in that position. Dear gods, she could feel every damned inch of him like that, and when he flexed his hips a little she whimpered at the sensation of him hitting a spot deep inside of her that set her very blood on fire. “Hot damn, Geta… just… just go slow, kay?”

  _I think I’m in love with this position,_ he purred in her mind. _You’re so damned tight, beautiful._ Vegeta began to move slowly, being as gentle as possible with her as she fought to breathe and gasped every time he pressed against that spot, sending shot after shot of pleasure running through her. _How does that feel?_ He whispered, knowing damned well how good it felt through the bond.

_A—amazing… damn… even my brain… h—has a stutter… don’t stop, my love…_

_Can you come for me like this,_ r’sha _? I want to feel your pleasure._ Vegeta hooked his hips into hers just a little harder when she pushed back against him and moaned his name, and soon he was bent over her, biting at her bleeding mark once more, groaning softly as she tightened and actually screamed from the intensity of her climax.

He went right with her over the edge; he’d been holding back for a good while and knew she’d need a break after this, anyway. A short break. Vegeta looked down and smirked with pride at his still-hard cock, nipping at her mark once more before flipping her back over to kiss her. _Want you again, Usagi… I can’t seem to get enough of you…_

She nodded as she sucked at his lower lip, and couldn’t believe that she still wanted him, too. Shit, this man simply set her on fire! Everything she’d thought about how good he would feel inside of her had be spot-on and _then some_. _Same, Geta… I… gods, you’ve got me so damned wet it’s unreal._

Vegeta grinned against her lips and chuckled when she arched to offer herself again.

Ok, a _very_ short break.

#####################

“Again?”

Hearing the weariness in her voice, Vegeta relented and shook his head as he rolled her onto her back, ignoring his raging erection in order to simply kiss her and nuzzle her throat. _Sleep,_ r’sha _,_ he whispered in her mind.

Usagi smiled and sighed in relief; she’d told him he could have as much as he wanted, but she hadn’t expected him to be so damned insatiable! Shit, they’d only been going at it for nearly a full day with only a few respites for food, showering and using the bathroom, and Usagi was simply exhausted. But then again, she could feel his arousal pressing against her and could sense himself trying to control his lust through the bond. “Tomorrow, Geta, ok? Just let me get some rest and I’m all yours again. Need to recharge my vagina batteries,” she yawned.

Vegeta nodded, silent but for his purr, and settled in behind her to wrap his arms possessively around her petite body. She’d only given herself to him dozens of times throughout the day, the least he could do for her was to allow her some rest before he took her again.

The Saiyan prince wasn’t tired though, so he settled for running his fingers over her, idly exploring her while his touch and the relaxing purr coming from his chest lulled her to sleep.

It was an hour later before he’d worked up his nerve enough to bend his head to her ear and say the words that had been in his mind for days, the words that he’d wanted to say aloud and not just through the bond. Bulma had said before that a woman needed to hear them, and he wanted to give that to his new mate the moment he’d felt that long dead emotion revive inside of him.

“I love you, Usagi.”


	12. Chapter 12

Usagi had expected to wake to sex the moment that Vegeta had decided she’d had enough sleep, but instead she woke to the feeling of calloused fingertips and palms gently exploring her. “Mmm… feels nice,” she whispered, not even bothering to open her eyes as she sighed happily and gurgled with pleasure whenever he found some particular spot that pleased her. “What are you doing?” She finally asked.

                “Learning.”

                “Learning what, honey?”

                “You.” Vegeta felt a rush of contentment when he was bathed in her immediate warm smile and he felt a wave of deep emotion through the bond. He was sure of it now; she felt just as deeply for him as he did for her, only she hadn’t been able to—or was too scared to—voice it just yet. _I want to know what you like._ He grinned a little at that and bent down. _How you like to kiss…_

                Usagi purred happily when she felt his lips moving over hers, punctuated with a brief nip of his teeth.

                _How you like to be touched…_

She gasped in surprise at the sensation of his fingers pressing briefly between her legs; even during their all-day session, he hadn’t once touched her there with his hands.

                _Tasted…_

A flick of his tongue followed by a slow, open-mouthed kiss to her mating mark coaxed a moan from her throat, and she actually cracked her eyes open a little to look up at him. His eyes were shining brightly with a mixture of amusement and desire; oh yes, he knew exactly what he was doing to her, and she could see more of the man he’d once been than she’d ever seen before.

                _I want to know what will make you squirm and moan and beg to be taken…_

The blue eyes he found so captivating rolled back when his fingers ceased teasing her still-sore entrance, only to flick upwards and rub her clit, and he found his mate clutching at him as she breathed his name and parted her legs slightly to allow him better access.

                _And when I’ve learned these things, my mate, I’ll finally give you what you want most…_

“And… and what… what is that?” She whimpered as he began to massage that little bundle of nerves in slow, delicious circles.

                If anyone from Vegeta’s past had been present, they would have known that slow, gloating smirk all too well. “Me,” he replied smugly.

                _Hard to call you a smartass when you’re right,_ she snorted in amusement through the bond, already beyond speech as his fingers began to take her closer to rapture. But then he suddenly stopped and Usagi found herself growling under her breath at the lack of contact. “What—why—“

                _I want to show you something that you’ll enjoy a lot. Give me back my tail,_ r’sha _. If it’s not too much trouble._

 _Gods damn it, Vegeta… I’m this close to pinning you to the mattress,_ Usagi sputtered as she transformed and ignored the way he stiffened at the sight of Cosmos. “Hold still,” she whispered aloud, “and brace yourself, because I don’t know if this is going to hurt or—“

                She was cut off by a yelp coming from the Saiyan prince, followed by a deep, rolling purr of delight as she poured her light into the scar on his lower back and directed it to regrow the fuzzy appendage. “That feels good?” She breathed in his ear, very aware of the raging hard on he was sporting as his purr intensified and he moaned aloud, leaning back against her chest. “Can you come for me like this, my prince?”

                Too caught up in the crashing waves of ecstasy running through him from the most sensitive area of his body, Vegeta let out an actual whimper and gave a little helpless nod as he thrust his groin forward a bit, his cock instinctively seeking out the sweet warmth that was between her thighs. “Need… need…”

                “Me?” She asked softly. “In a moment, Geta… I’m still regrowing your tail, love… then you can have me all you want. Just like yesterday,” she added with a wry chuckle. “Unless…” Cosmos sighed in understanding when she pulled him back so that he was lying down and relented when he struggled a little, letting him sit back up. “Hm… even better idea,” she whispered seductively, closing her eyes for a moment before looking back at him.

                Vegeta relaxed at the sight of blue eyes; whether or not it was an optical illusion didn’t matter much, it was definitely doing the trick for him, and he gasped and jumped in surprise when she knelt before him at the foot of the bed, her hand caressing his growing tail. “Usa…”

                “Please, Vegeta… let me give you this,” she breathed, her warm breath ghosting over the head of his cock. “I’ve fantasized about doing this to you for a while now. And I don’t expect you to reciprocate,” she added quickly. “Just… just let me give you pleasure.”

                _I’ll… I’ll try,_ r’sha _,_ he whispered shakily through the bond. He gasped at the first touch of her tongue to his taut flesh, the air in his lungs catching for several moments and exiting in a long, shaky moan as she tentatively licked up and down his length.

                “Yes?” Usagi smiled up at him with twinkling blue eyes as she began to caress his tail simultaneously with the motions of her mouth on his cock, and she gave a little moan of pleasure when she took him between her lips and felt him harden and quicken, clearly close to exploding. “It’s ok to come, Geta… I want you to,” she whispered before slowly engulfing him in that wet heat, her tongue moving confidently over the head as she suckled him all the way into the back of her throat.

                Another moan erupted from her throat as she felt both of his hands bunch tightly in her silver strands, words in his native language leaving his mouth in a soft, husky voice as he thrust upwards and purred loudly. _You taste so good, Geta,_ she breathed seductively in his mind, her voice soft and innocent as she glanced up at him with a blush. _I’d like to taste more if you’d give it to me, my prince. I swear to swallow every last drop of you._

Vegeta felt the last of his resistance slip away as she whimpered softly, telling him through the bond that she’d surrender to his every fantasy if he’d just come for her, and the moment he wasn’t fighting it anymore he did just that. With a loud yell, he nearly blacked out as he slumped back onto the bed and trembled in the aftermath. “Usa…”

                “Hm?” She purred happily, gently licking him clean as she finished up with his tail.

                “Love you,” he sighed, his lips twitching up in a little smile that was still stupid with pleasure. That smile vanished when she froze for a moment, her eyes flashing with fear before she concealed it quickly and continued to pleasure him. “No.” _Usagi… what’s wrong?_

“I…” She slowly shook her head and smiled down at him as she crawled back up onto the bed, her hair melting to shimmering gold. “Don’t worry about it, Geta. It’s nothing. So…” That mischievous glint was back to her eyes as she gently grasped his tail and held it in front of his face. “What is it you wanted to show me?”

                That momentary fear in her eyes was instantly forgotten as she licked her lips, followed by the tip of his tail, and his growl joined that throaty purr of his as he flipped her onto her back and pinned her to the mattress. “Mine.”

                “Yours,” she whispered. Again, her eyes widened just slightly and there was a tinge of uneasiness to them, but Vegeta was so focused on his regrown appendage that he dismissed it to deal with later—and he would deal with it later, but right then there were more pressing matters… Thrashing it lightly in the air, he made a happy sound as he smelled his own pheromones in the air, getting stronger by the moment as he used his tail for its main purpose. He wasn’t disappointed when he cracked open his eyes to find her glassy-eyed and a little confused.

 _Sorry, overdid it a little with my scent, goddess,_ he chuckled, lightly wrapping his tail around her thigh to pull it up around his waist. _Mmm… I forgot what having a third hand of sorts felt like. Thank you for this._

“Welcome,” she mumbled deliriously, drowning in a haze of desire that smelled like wood smoke, warmth and snow. _Feel so… relaxed… warm…_

 _Good, my goddess… lie back and enjoy this, then. I still have a lot to learn about what you like._ Vegeta’s beast purred happily to see his mate surrender to him completely, her arms above her head and her legs spread as she submitted to whatever he wanted to do to her. With a content sigh, he kissed her lazily as he resumed his earlier attentions to her clit, only this time he was pressing his entry with his tail, fluffing out the fur as he gently began to thrust it into her. He didn’t even have to ask if it felt good; her low moan of pleasure was all the confirmation he needed as he simply made love to her slowly with it and rubbed his fingers over the swollen bundle of nerves just above her entrance. “Come,” he breathed, nipping and kissing his way down to a nipple to suckle it as her hips moved slightly and she made a choked noise in the back of her throat.

                “Geta…? Is it… is it ok…?” Usagi whimpered and her eyes rolled back as his tail thrust forward a little more firmly and he gave her the barest of nods.

                The prince purred happily as he rode her through her climax, his mouth moving upwards to claim hers lovingly when he finally withdrew his tail and replaced it with his quickly renewed arousal. “Love you,” he sighed again as he began to move inside of her. “My Usagi…” He groaned loudly when she whispered something in another language that he didn’t quite understand, her body tightening around him as she cried out loudly and gripped the sheets. “My mate,” he breathed in her ear as she came yet again, nearly taking him right over the edge with him. “Again, _r’sha_ …”

                “Geta… please… harder…”

                He stopped at that and stared at her seriously for a long moment. _Is that what you want, goddess? For… for me to… to **take** you?_

Usagi relented, still feeling high from his scent. “Don’t worry about it, honey. I’m sorry,” she whispered knowingly. Sex was still something he was adjusting to, and it was one thing to make love like they had been, with an occasional rough thrust between being gentle and slow, and another entirely to pound away at her… like **_he_** had been taken. In his mind, it probably didn’t make a difference that she would very much enjoy it.

                _If… if that’s what you want… but… I won’t hurt you, goddess,_ Vegeta finished firmly, leaning down to simply rest inside of her for a moment.

                “You won’t hurt me, honey… and pain _isn’t_ what I want. But if it’s something you’re not comfortable with, I’m just fine like we are. I didn’t think before I spoke, sor—“ She was cut off by a hard thrust, her eyes rolling back as he withdrew and did it again. “ _Holy_!”

                Trembling slightly, Vegeta stopped again after a few more and studied her carefully. “Yes…?”

                “Uh-huh,” she whimpered deliriously, raising her hips in invitation. “Definitely doesn’t hurt, love… feels so good…” When he didn’t move right away, she hooked her leg around his waist and yanked him down to her with it. “What, Geta?” She breathed, tracing his jaw with her fingertips. “Don’t you want to take me like a first class warrior?”

                That actually made him chuckle and he nipped at her mark in reply before slamming into her again and again. _Damned tail pheromones. Remind me never to do that again,_ r’sha _. It seems to make you a little too crazy for cock._

“Just yours,” she whispered sexily between thrusts, crying out as soon as the words left her mouth and he bit down viciously on her mark, sending her careening over the edge once more.

                Vegeta let her take him with her that time and groaned his pleasure as she drained him of every drop, collapsing on top of her in a sweaty heap. “Good?” He slurred, smiling in utter contentment as he felt her fingertips whispering over his shoulders and back. He still couldn’t tolerate the touching during sex, but he was quickly learning to enjoy it afterwards. Maybe soon, he’d be able to let her touch him while he took her; he knew due to the bond that she wanted that more than anything. “I love you, Usagi.”

###############################

                Usagi woke to the feeling of a strange, familiar pulsing warmth inside of her chest and groggily moaned from the lack of sleep. “Too early…” She whined in Japanese into her pillow, sounding very much like her teenage self. 

                Then the warmth began to hurt a little and she realized what it was. The silver crystal. “ **GETA**!?” She cried, sitting up straight in bed.

                Her instant fear woke Vegeta immediately and he leapt from under the covers to cast around for any danger, but he sensed her relaxing a little once she spotted him. “What?” He grunted. _Bad dream,_ r’sha _?_ He knew all about those, he got them often enough, even during the last two weeks since he’d begun sleeping in her bed most nights.

 _No,_ Usagi responded mentally, casting out to find whatever it was that was setting the crystal off. _Someone… or something… is calling me. I’m needed, but… I can’t find the source. I thought it was you at first, that you were in danger… there it is,_ she breathed after several minutes. It was two solar systems over but in the same galaxy. And the person calling her seemed familiar… in fact, it was his ki that rang a bell. “Broly?” She whispered aloud. “I think it’s Broly that’s calling me.”

                Her eyes went wide and she leapt out of bed to throw on some clothes. “Geta, I have to go to them. If the other Saiyans have been discovered—“

                “No,” he growled, pinning her to the wall. _You won’t put yourself in the crossfire. If Arctic’s found them, then—_

 _Then we’re next!_ She shot back. _Besides, they can’t touch me, you know that. I’ll kill him in one shot and be done with it._

“Arctic is _mine_!” Vegeta snapped, stunning himself at his own outburst. Did he really mean that? Could he actually face the creature that had tortured and raped him for the last hundred years? He hadn’t even been able to face the two guards that had beaten him. But that had been three weeks ago, and the crown prince knew that he was returning to his old self… and a lot faster than either of them thought he would.

                He was talking more out loud, he wasn’t reacting as violently to being surprised, and while he still didn’t like the idea of wearing clothing or being touched during sex, even Usagi had commented more than once that he was doing much, much better. But she still hadn’t said that she loved him, despite the fact that he said it to her at least once a day. _How the tables have turned,_ he thought to himself with amusement. Bulma had only said it to him all the time, and Vegeta had only uttered it twice in his life before his capture. Now he was saying it all the time without hearing it in return. “I will handle Arctic,” he said firmly. “But you stay.”

                “Fine, then you take him out!” Usagi yelled, slipping out from his grip. “But I can’t ignore a call for help, Geta. It’s part of my gift… and my curse. It’s already starting to hurt; I’ve waited too long to answer it. I need to go to Broly and help him or I’ll be in a lot of pain soon. Ok?”

                “Bring him here,” Vegeta sighed after a moment. “Can you?”

                “Well… _yeah_. But won’t another male set you off?”

                _Not Broly. I remember him a little. We were friends as brats. Just try it and see what happens. I don’t know… shield him or something if I freak out._

Sighing in defeat, Usagi pulled on the rest of her clothes and looked her mate up and down. “What? You’re still going to run around naked? Not that I’m complaining,” she added with an appreciative smile, “but…”

                _I’m fine. Summon him here, and if you’re needed there desperately, I’ll… I’ll go with you,_ he added with a touch of unconcealed fear. _I guess I’ll have to wear clothes._

                Usagi nodded hesitantly, not liking that idea in the least, but unwilling to voice it when he seemed to finally be facing his fear of being around other people. “Ok…” She transformed to Cosmos, and in an instant focused on Broly’s ki and teleported him there.

                “HOLY! What the--!?”

                Detransforming, Usagi wiggled her fingers in greeting and grinned. “Heya. Mister Cranky over there—“ She pointed at a stiff, bristling Vegeta, who was snarling under his breath and clenching his fists at the sight of Broly. “—wouldn’t let me leave, so I brought you here.” Usagi looked to her mate and sighed. “Sugar, stop grinding your teeth. How are you going to refresh my mark later if those canines are dull?”

                Looking down at his feet as he got himself under control, Vegeta actually managed a little smirk at that thought. _I’ll just have to bite you harder,_ r’sha _._

 _Promises, promises,_ she teased, smiling softly as she sensed him relaxing. _I’m yours, Geta._

 _I know,_ r’sha _. But would you like to prove it after you teleport this other male out of here?_

 _Heh… sure. I’ll even hug him just to give you an excuse to scrub me down,_ she giggled.

                Broly just blinked and stared at Vegeta the whole time the mated couple was conversing through the bond. “Highness,” he finally let out in a whoosh of air as he hit his knees and bowed his head. “It’s good to see you well.”

                Vegeta just grunted, and feeling a little awkward, motioned for Broly to stand up before pointing to Usagi while he retreated to his little nest, the only place where he truly felt safe. “So. What’s up?” Usagi asked conversationally.

                “Arctic knows where you are. He’s tracking you right now from the scouters—“ He stopped when Vegeta immediately leapt out of his nest and stormed outside with Saiyan speed and Usagi left him there, following her mate.

                “Wait, Vegeta! I can just—“ Usagi transformed, used her power to yank him off his feet and into the air and into safety just as an explosion shook the planet from underground. “There. See? They’re destroyed, now. The pod, too,” she explained as she set him on his feet. Cosmos sighed when he growled at her; he was clearly not happy about being manhandled. “Sorry,” she whispered, looking away in embarrassment. “I acted before I thought about it.”

                The moment she was detransformed, though, Vegeta jerked her into his arms and bit down on her shoulder by way of apology, leaving a bloody puncture mark in her shirt. Totally oblivious to their audience at the doorway, he captured his mate’s lips as she trembled from the effects of the bite and he began to devour her slowly.

                “Geta… Geta…” Usagi finally managed as he began to tug at her clothing impatiently. “Broly’s still here… and I’m not much of an exhibitionist.”

                “Oh.” Vegeta looked over to find Broly standing in the doorway, blushing brightly as he tried not to look at the pair out in the yard. “Sorry,” he grunted towards the other Saiyan.

                “Um… s’ok,” he mumbled in reply. “Though… you may want to take care of that, Vegeta,” he added with a chuckle, gesturing towards the prince’s groin.

                “Oh.” Now that he knew how to get it up, he was having a lot of trouble with getting it to stay down lately. “Sorry,” he grunted again.

                “I’ll help you with it later,” Usagi giggled, leaning up to softly kiss his bare shoulder. She locked eyes with him for a moment and found love there, coupled with a warm, genuine smile directed at her. Damn it, she was falling for him and hard. “Why don’t you meet me at the hot spring? I’ll be there in a few minutes, honey.”

                She approached Broly once Vegeta was on his way to the spring and sighed heavily. “Sorry, Vegeta doesn’t have any social barriers and well… he kind of gets caught up in the moment.” Usagi groaned a little when she sensed Broly’s emotions through her empathic abilities and took a little step back from him. “ ** _Jealousy_**!? Seriously? What in the fuck is it with you Saiyan men and **_me_**!?”

                Broly just shrugged a little and managed a tiny smile. “You’re a very attractive woman, and it’s not just the infinite power at your fingertips. But I’d have to take a number. Raditz has first dibs if there’s ever a chance, and Turles called next in line if Rad gets killed off or something. Guess that means I’m sucking hind tit.”

                “You’re telling me that there is an actual **line** comprised of Saiyan warriors? A line for access to my snatch?” She deadpanned. “I don’t know whether to be insulted or fucking flattered.”

                “If Raditz wasn’t clearly in love with you, and you and Vegeta in love with each other, I’d honestly be trying my damnedest to seduce you right here and now,” Broly answered truthfully.

                Usagi couldn’t help but laugh at that and shake her head. “A gentleman Saiyan, how rare,” she snickered. But then she stopped and glared at him seriously. “And who says I’m in love?”

                “You kissed his shoulder. That shows intent to bite… or least that you’re seriously considering it.” Broly frowned when she looked away and at the ground, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Usagi.”

                “No, it’s ok. I just… never mind. Thanks for the warning, at any rate. I’ll shield the planet from any entries and let Geta make the call if he wants to let them in and kick some ass.”

                “Oh, and before I forget…” Broly pulled a book from a pouch on his belt and handed it over. “It’s in the galactic common tongue, so you should be able to read it. It’s a guide to Saiyan males, written specifically for foreign women.” He grinned when she blushed a little while she skimmed the table of contents. “Yeah. It’s pretty in-depth.”

                “Sort of like Saiyan Males for Dummies, the Vagina Edition. Thank you,” she said warmly, tucking it in her subspace.

                Broly laughed at that and nodded. “Pretty much. Oh, and one more thing. This is from Turles,” he said with a wink, handing her a bottle of rum. “And this is from Raditz,” he added, quickly jerking her into his arms to kiss her slowly and skillfully, his hands tangling in her long hair. “Mmm… just as good as I thought it would be,” he purred when he finally drew back. The Saiyan grinned when she just stared at him blankly for a moment. “Ok. You can send me back, now.”

                Finally snapping out of her stupor, Usagi rolled her eyes and sputtered about stupid Saiyan warriors as she transformed and teleported him back to where he’d come from. “Well, Geta’s definitely going to scrub me down, now.”


	13. Chapter 13

A lot of it was just a refresher course in what she already knew from Raditz, but there were quite a few tidbits about mating that made her stop and reevaluate what was happening between her and the crown prince of the Saiyans. The opening line of the book cracked her up so hard that she nearly sat down as she walked slowly towards the hot spring, and Usagi found herself leaning against a tree as she fought for air.

_Congratulations! If you’re reading this book, it likely means that you have found yourself at the center of a Saiyan warrior’s attentions._

_We here at Galactic Publications take that back. We express our condolences. While you may be in for the wildest, most spectacular sex of your life, you’re also in store for some of the most trying moments in your life… at least as far as your patience is concerned. Your vagina as well. So read on for a detailed, very blunt description of the Saiyan male and how he works._

_Lesson One: The Big Three_

_We’ve put this in the beginning, since this is the shit that you’ll most likely screw up if you aren’t careful._

  1. _When approached by a Saiyan interested in mating, **DO NOT RUN!!!!!!** Running initiates the second oldest Saiyan tradition regarding courtship: The Chase. If you run away, your prospective mate will give chase and fuck your brains out. Simple as that. Running will trigger his inner beast and send a message. That message is, “catch me if you can.” And believe me, you don’t want to send that kind of challenge. If you want to be rid of his presence, ask him to leave or tell him you’re leaving, but don’t just dart out without telling him so._
  2. **_DON’T FIGHT HIM._** _Unless you’re a very rare type of woman that can actually battle a Saiyan warrior and **WIN** , do not initiate a fight! Sparring is fine for you ladies out there that like to fight, but always make sure to mention that you’re just sparring. Otherwise, you’re telling his inner beast, “take me if you can.” And when he wins… he **WILL**. We hope you’ll keep painkillers on hand for your broken vagina._
  3. **_DON’T BITE HIM._** _Ladies, this seals the deal! A bite to your shoulder is considered courtship (more on that later), but a return bite equals a bond stronger than marriage. If it’s not what you want, don’t do it!_



So there _was_ such a thing as a courtship bite, just as Vegeta had thought, and it was interesting to learn in a later chapter that if it wasn’t renewed regularly it would fade and not even scar. Even though it was extremely rare for a Saiyan warrior to bite and claim a woman without her eventually returning the mark, it did sometimes happen… just not often. Apparently that only happened when a female utterly rejected a male after being bitten, and according to the text she was reading, that was a very serious matter and never done lightly.

The fact that they never said “love” was already known to her, as was the meaning of _r’sha_ and a few other Saiyan words, the fact that they mated for life and were very, _very_ jealous of any attempts on a woman they were trying to lay claim to.

_What’s that?_

“Oh… heh, just something that Broly brought me to understand you a little better,” Usagi giggled as she tucked it away. “I’ve officially dubbed it the Vagina Edition of Saiyan Males for Dummies. It’s probably the same thing as one of the books he gave you, only it’s pretty funny and entertaining at the same time. I was just flipping around to a few different things.”

Vegeta licked his lips in anticipation as he watched her strip down like it was the most natural action for her in the world, but when she slid into the spring and sat beside him he growled loudly.

“I know, I know!” Usagi said quickly, pulling out a washrag and a bottle of soap. “Here, wild man. Go fucking nuts. Fucking Broly,” she added with a mutter as she pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste and started brushing her teeth.

“He kissed you!?” Vegeta snapped at her.

“Duh, shwy I bussin mah teef,” she snorted around a mouthful of toothpaste. Usagi rolled her eyes when he only continued to growl and bitch, and finally leaned over to spit onto the bank and wipe her mouth. “There. No oral sloppy seconds for you, Geta. Happy?” Sagging down into the water, she sighed when he just glared at her and folded his arms over his chest, impatiently waiting for an explanation. “He kissed me, not the other way around. And it was just a kiss. Don’t fly off the handle or anything, Geta.”

_You said you were mine._

She blinked at that and just stared for a moment. “I am! What, Geta!? You wanted me to kill him or something over a _kiss_!?”

_Did you kiss him back?_

“Well… yeah. I won’t lie about it. He was a good kisser and it was the first instinct I had. I can’t help that, Vegeta; when someone kisses me, I just automatically return it.” Usagi frowned deeply and huffed to herself in frustration. “Why are you so upset, Vegeta? I don’t **_want_** Broly if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“And me?”

“I _always_ want you.” Usagi smiled and tried not to laugh when she sensed his sudden interest through the bond. “Saiyans… you’re all so easily distracted from an argument.”

“Not arguing. Just…” Vegeta sighed and shook his head. “…worried,” he finally managed. _I wouldn’t blame you for choosing Raditz over me,_ he confessed softly in her mind. _He can… **please** you better than I can. _ Vegeta tried not to blush at that but found himself unable to stop the involuntary reaction. He knew she enjoyed the intimacy, but he also knew that Raditz far outstripped him in skill and a willingness to experiment, even if he didn’t in size. _He’s more stable. He’s still whole. He won’t freak out over a simple touch._

Usagi licked her lips and nodded slowly, even if it did hurt that he was trying to give her an out and push her away. “Do you want me to leave?” She whispered tearfully. If he wanted it… truly wanted it… she would go. But she would never return to that dimension; it held too much heartache for her.

“No. But… you deserve better, _r’sha_. I’m broken.”

“I don’t care about that, Vegeta. I’ll stay if you want me to stay; it’s as simple as that. If you don’t I’ll go.” When no response came and she looked up to find him just watching her silently, the princess nodded in understanding and began to climb out of the water… only to find herself pinned against the rocky wall of the hot spring, a growling Saiyan looking down at her with anger in his eyes. “What?”

“Don’t use my feelings as an excuse to overlook your own, Usagi. Either _you_ want to stay or you don’t. I’ve played games over the last hundred years, and I’m not playing them anymore. Make up your own mind… and do us _both_ a favor and don’t try to use me like that again.”

Ignoring a fleeting thought about how that was the most he’d spoken out loud in one shot, Usagi trembled and cast her eyes down to the surface of the water. “I didn’t mean it that way, Vegeta. I swear I’d never do anything to hurt you. I care about you too much to ever do that.”

He relented when he opened the bond enough to truly discern her feelings and found confusion, sadness, fear and… was that love? “Usagi…?”

“What?” She choked out, fighting the urge to cry despite the fact that he’d loosened his grip on her wrists and was turning them, tugging her gently into his lap.

“I love you. I’m sorry.”

“Vegeta, I—“ His lips silenced hers, and Usagi couldn’t help but melt into him as his hands wandered her tenderly, his love for her coming through the half-bond and his tail swishing around in the air, spreading his scent. The combination of the two was making her dizzy, soft and compliant, and she had to admit that she’d never felt quite so relaxed, quite so… happy.

“When I leave,” he purred against her mouth, trailing it over to her shoulder with agonizing slowness, “you’re coming with me. Either beside me or thrown over my shoulder… your choice.”

“Kay,” she whimpered softly in reply, her fingers bunching in his hair at the sensation of his teeth raking over her mark, her body arching into his, instinctively seeking out the pleasure that came whenever he bit down. But when he continued to tease her mark, she took over before she could stop herself, shifting in his lap to straddle him and tease him in return.

“Don’t,” he growled the moment her tongue brushed over the scar of his first mating mark. “Not unless you mean to bite down, Usagi. You don’t joke about marking a Saiyan male.” Vegeta groaned softly in disappointment when she pulled back and looked down at him, licking her lips slowly. “Home,” he ordered firmly. “Now.”

“Do you need me, Vegeta?” Usagi whispered seductively, her heart pounding and her better sense leaving her thanks to the strength of his pheromones in the air. With a gentle rocking of her hips she found him flaccid beneath the water and she wondered if she could fix that without being on bottom for once. “Because I want to make love to you like this.”

His beast couldn’t help but purr at the idea, but Vegeta nervously shook his head a little… until his mate placed his hands on her hips and submissively put her own behind her back. “I’m in control?” He confirmed. She nodded and he felt himself swell in response, but didn’t lift her hips to take her right away; his beast had other ideas, and Vegeta’s hands were moving to the golden strands floating on top of the water.

“Oh hell… that’s a little kinky, isn’t it?” Usagi giggled when he bunched her hair into two wet ropes and loosely bound her hands behind her back. “How did you know that I’ve secretly wanted to be tied up with my hair?” She breathed in his ear, nipping at it lightly as he pulled her flush against him and pressed his entry. “See? Keep this sort of thing up and you’ll easily please me more than anyone else ever has, Geta.” She nipped at his ear again as she sighed at the sensation of him thrusting into her gently, one of his hands helping her stay balanced while the other carefully massaged her clit. “You’re the best I’ve ever had, Geta… so don’t sell yourself short.”

##########################

She loved him.

Vegeta was positive of it now more than ever after delving into her mind while they’d made love in the hot spring, but he hadn’t ventured any further into her head than that. She’d tell him why she was so antsy about him leaving later on, he was sure she would.

But for the time being he was content to hold her in front of the fireplace, curled up under the fur while they both read in the flickering light. Sensing her growing amusement, he looked up. “What is it, _r’sha_?”

“Just a funny thought,” she snickered. “I was wondering if you’d actually give chase if I ran from you. I know how it works and all, I’m just reading a detailed chapter on mating customs.”

“Try it and find out,” he purred. “I guarantee that you’ll be in for a surprise, woman.”

                “Ha! You wouldn’t be able to even catch me, wild man,” Usagi laughed, holding her sides as she sat her book down. “I’m a goddess, remember? I have many methods of hiding under my belt.”

                “I’ll have that belt off and your hands tied with it by the end of the night, Usa. Don’t start a pissing contest with me that you won’t be able to win.” Vegeta smirked, thinking he’d won the debate when she fell silent for a little while, and he returned to reading his book. Until she nipped at his shoulder, that is.

                “Catch me if you can, Geta.”

                Then she was gone.

#################################

                “Alright! I’m getting pissed, woman!”

                _And I’m getting **bored** , _Usagi giggled, keeping the bond cracked open only just enough to communicate through, but not enough for him to pinpoint her location. _Didn’t you ever play hide and seek on Vegeta-sai? You’re waaaaay too easy to hide from, Geta._

Lowering his voice, Vegeta closed the bond and huffed. “We played it, alright. But it was a life or death type of training, woman. I’d prefer not to kill you… since I want that pussy warm.” When he felt her poke at the bond he knew she’d heard him, and he smirked at her error. She was within earshot, and if he was correct about her hearing abilities, they were similar to a humans… therefore, she could only be within a few feet of him. Ascending to level two, he let her assume it was for the sake of the light of his ki, when in fact he was building a ki field around them in a twenty-foot radius. He would flush her out, oh yes… and then she’d smack right into the barrier he’d built up and land right into his awaiting arms. “Alright, woman, where are you?”

                _Nope. Life or death, you said it yourself. And you’re going to kill my pussy if you catch me,_ she giggled hysterically.

                “Oh, don’t act like you won’t enjoy it, woman,” he purred seductively, wishing to the gods that she had a discernible ki. This would have been over within five minutes if he’d been able to track her that way… shit. He could track her _easily_! “I’m such a fucking idiot,” he muttered under his breath.

                _You said it, not me, love._

“Hush,” he snorted in amusement as he began to wave his tail around lightly, spreading his scent into the air; if she was as close as he thought she was, she’d smell his pheromones within moments… and in turn, he’d scent her arousal.

                And sure enough, there it was, just to his left. He let his gaze wander as he slowly turned, careful not to let on that he’d pinpointed her location, and he marveled at how his Saiyan eyes couldn’t even see her. How was she doing that? Heh… who cared? He’d find out later, once he’d snagged her and… Vegeta flinched a little as his inner Saiyan rose up and started thinking things that bothered him more than just a little bit. Images of throwing her to the ground and ravaging her to the point of exhaustion were running through his head, and he was a tad terrified of his beast’s arousal at the idea.

                _Geta…? Honey, are you alright?_

“Fine,” he grunted, surrendering to his beast only because it was hammering away at his mind and body, demanding his mate and at the same time reassuring the prince that he’d never harm her. The beast just wanted to show her who was boss, that’s all. And maybe make her squeal a little.

                And squeal she did when Vegeta walked right past her, not even looking in her direction… but then his tail snagged her by the thigh, drug her to the ground, and she was pinned in place by the body of an elite Saiyan warrior. “Found you,” he growled, immediately burying his steadily growing canines in her shoulder so forcefully that his mate cried out and came just from the pleasure of his claim over her.

                “Not fair,” she moaned as she slowly came down from the high of her surprise climax. “Since you haven’t caught me yet, anyway,” she added once she could breathe well enough to get out more than two words.

                “Excuse me, woman?” Vegeta grunted, followed by a snarl as he was shoved back and his mate was surrounded in a purple barrier that he crashed into the moment he tried to approach.

                “Oh, come on, honey… you want me? You’re gonna have to work for it,” she snickered. “You didn’t seriously think that capturing the Queen of the Stars would be _that_ easy? And I’m playing nice, too, since I’m not teleporting all over the place.” Usagi gasped in surprise and jumped when he punched the barrier and it actually… … … _cracked_.

                They both had the same idea and ascended simultaneously, Vegeta’s ki crackling around him like lightning as he yelled a Saiyan battle cry and went to level three just after she’d fully transformed into Cosmos. “Come on, sugar,” she whispered evilly. “Is that all you’ve got for me?”

                “Oh, I’ve got plenty, woman,” he growled before launching himself right into the barrier. It held as she fed it her power, though, and Vegeta found himself screaming in frustration as blow after blow to her Silence Wall failed to shatter it.

                It was only when the ground beneath her began to tremble that the Wall suffered a hairline crack, and Cosmos jumped in surprise and immediately began to feed the planet her energy as well when it shook violently from the crater the Saiyan prince was forming in it with just his rising ki.

                And then it happened.

                With a savage, ear-rattling scream, Vegeta ascended even further, his body rippling with red fur as his hair darkened and grew longer. The barrier between him and his mate shattered with the simple force of his power and he was on top of her then, drawing blood with his Saiyan fangs as he shoved her to the ground and crushed his mouth to hers, his hands rending her fuku obsolete as it flew through the air in little pieces.

                And then he was inside of her, slaking his lust with a series of savage little grunts and growls, punctuated by a snarl every time she attempted to even move her hips in time with him. Vegeta’s beast would have her, yes—but she would submit and lie still or he would pin her down by the shoulder with his teeth and show her just _who_ was in charge. The only word uttered during that savage and primal mating of their bodies was “mine,” just before Vegeta bit her shoulder, his low growl punctuating his purr the moment he tasted her blood in his mouth and she came explosively, tightening around him almost to the point of pain. He took his pleasure then, still pounding into her ferociously as he screamed out his climax, his ki rising impossibly further as he filled her with his hot seed.

                “Yours,” Usagi whimpered as he panted above her, his blue eyes still wild and unreadable as he gradually came down from the afterglow. “Wow…” She finally added after he’d visibly relaxed a little. “No wonder the manual said not to run,” she giggled. “If I’d been in my mortal form you would have ripped me a new one, Geta.” Her eyes roamed over him then and she smirked up at him sexily. “So… that red fur apparently goes… hm… _everywhere_? I don’t suppose I’ll get to pet it? Geta?” She added in concern when he drew back from her, and not just physically, either—she could feel him withdrawing through the bond, too. “Honey? Did… did I do something wrong?” It was almost like the way he’d been during the week before they’d first been intimate… like he wanted her, but was intensely afraid of something and wouldn’t give voice to it. _He’s scared of me again,_ she realized sadly, trying not to show her distress as she detransformed.

                But it wasn’t so much that as the scent of blood in the air that had Vegeta nervous and upset. “Did I hurt you?” he whispered fearfully.

                “Pht… no, I’m fine. Off the shelf for a few hours maybe, but nothing that I didn’t enjoy. You beat it up right, Geta,” she added with a little chuckle, relieved that her appearance as the silver goddess wasn’t the thing bothering him. “And I have to admit… I’m tempted to run again.” Usagi giggled when he immediately pinned her flat on her back and snarled a soft warning down at her. “Mmm… gods, Geta… you know how fucking _sexy_ you are like this? All aggressive and male and Saiyan and… _RAWR_ …?”

                That stopped him and he just quirked an eyebrow. “I am?”

                “Geta, that was arguably the best pounding I’ve received in my entire life. You’re the true God of Fuck, you know…” She idly trailed her fingers through the fur on his side and smiled gently up at him. “The God of Making Love as well, if you’d like to…”

                “Heal up first,” he whispered into her hair before brushing his lips over the crescent moon on her forehead.

                “Only if I get to pet you. You’re like a giant red kitty cat or something,” she giggled, burying her face in his fuzzy abs to sigh happily at the scent of him. “You smell so amazing, Geta.”

                “Usa…?”

                “Hm…?”

                “I love you.”

                There it was again, that flicker of fear in her eyes, and it made Vegeta fight down the urge to demand answers. He’d get them, he knew he would. He just had to be patient, wait her out, and she’d come to him and relay her concerns when she felt comfortable about voicing them. He knew that if he pushed her, she’d simply clam up and shut him out of the bond for fear that he’d delve into her thoughts.

########################

“Hello, Rabbit.”

“Heya,” Usagi yawned as she detransformed, snatching up his bottle to take a swig. “Ah… needed that. Much better. Long day and I still have to do the grocery shopping.”

“I’ll go with you,” Turles offered. “Keep you out of trouble. Raditz and Broly are off on some thing or other, tracking Arctic’s movements. But first…”

Usagi jumped and gasped when a tail wrapped around her upper thigh, jerking her tightly to his chest, and she couldn’t help but moan a little as she found herself being kissed skillfully, a calloused hand cupping her face. “Mmm… another hello from Raditz?”

“Nope,” Turles rumbled softly, his eyes twinkling happily. “Just wanted to see what the fuss was about. Now that I know… let’s get out of here and go somewhere that’ll be too public for me to finish the job,” he chuckled. That snicker turned into a full-blown laugh when she punched him in the shoulder. “Hey! I felt left out, alright!? My brother, Broly _and_ Vegeta all get a taste and I get jack!? Oh no, I ain’t playing that game, gorgeous.”

“Ugh… you’re all such _perverts_!” Usagi sputtered. “You’re carrying the bags, asshole. Since now I’ll have to scrub from head to toe and brush the fuck out of my teeth before I go home! Do you know how **_jealous_** Vegeta got when he smelled Broly on me? It took a lot of convincing for him to stop being so insecure about whether or not I wanted him and not one of _you_!”

That stopped Turles and he cringed as he facepalmed a little. “Sorry, Rabbit. I didn’t realize that he was having a confidence problem… I’ll write you an excuse note from your doctor,” he snickered.

“No. No doctors. No pelvic exams,” Usagi huffed, throwing her arms in the air. “Let’s just go shop and then I’ll scrub down after.”

“You sure you don’t want some help in the bath, Rabbit?” Turles teased as she teleported them to the shopping area and he flung a brotherly arm around her shoulder.

“Ugh… fucking perverted Saiyans… you’re all like little boys. If it’s physically possible to stick your cock in it… you want to at least try.”

“Every time, doll. Even if that thing has teeth and draws blood,” he added with a waggle of his eyebrows. “There was this one girl a decade ago, all spitting fire—literally, she could use fire—and screaming obscenities… well, she bit me.”

Usagi snorted in non-surprise at first, followed by incredulity at the wistful look in Turles’s eyes.

“It was amazing,” he groaned. “The blood and the sex and the way she screamed as she came… oh, so totally worth a ring of teeth marks in my shaft. Wanna see?” He added quickly. “I’ve still got the scars, you know. That little hellcat really unleashed the beast in me,” he snickered. “And she loved every fucking minute of it, too.”

“Gotta love that rough, angry Saiyan sex,” Usagi groaned, still a little sore from the pounding she’d received as Cosmos the day before. “Where is she now?”

“Uh… yeah.” Turles blushed a little and sighed at that, taking a swig from his ever-present bottle of booze. “She was the Usagi to my Raditz… but like Raditz, I ran from commitment. Last time I checked she was still single, but I didn’t swing in to see her. I didn’t want to court her wrath that day.”

“Well… maybe you should go court her today, Turles. I could teleport you there if you’d like? Think about it,” she added when his eyes grew a little wide and terrified. “If anything, you could always just ravage her until she’s too exhausted to set your rum stash on fire.”

“How did you know _that’s_ what I was terrified of, Rabbit?” Turles laughed, yanking her to him for a brief tail-hug. “She tried that once, you know! She used my rum bottle as a flaming missile aimed for my head, and I screamed my head off about the perfectly insane waste of good drink!”

“You and your lady at the bottom of the bottle,” Usagi sighed knowingly.


	14. Chapter 14

Turles carried the bags without complaint, despite knowing that Usagi had a perfectly good subspace pocket for storage at her disposal. He could read through her body language that she was more upset about the kiss than she was letting on, so he supposed he would carry her groceries as penance. He genuinely liked the woman and didn’t want her upset at him for something so small, even if it was true that Vegeta was extremely insecure about his status as her only lover. “Broly mentioned once that he and Vegeta liked that particular kind of cake,” he said absently as they passed a bakery. “That chocolate one with the swirls. It’s a type of cake they made on Vegeta-sai.”

                “Hm… yeah. Good idea, Turles. Thanks,” Usagi replied, though he could tell that her brightness was feigned.

                “Ok, that’s it,” he snorted. “Put these in your subspace and talk to me, Rabbit. What is wrong with you? It can’t be _just_ the fact that I kissed you. Does it have anything to do with Raditz or Broly? Did Vegeta say something, maybe?”

                The Queen of the Stars’s eyes widened and she gave him a quick deer in the headlights look before darting into the bakery to look at the cakes he’d pointed out to her. Turles was silent as he stood behind her, pressing into her personal space in a subtle stance that told her he wasn’t moving until he got some answers. “Vegeta… he loves me,” Usagi whispered.

                “And you feel the same for him. Why is this a problem, Rabbit?”

                “Raditz loved me… he still does… so did Heero and Duo and Sesshomaru—previous lovers from other dimensions,” she explained. “There were others too, and they all left. Either they died, or they got bored, or they were terrified of the power that I wield. They _all_ leave me, Turles. _All_ of them.”

                “And you can’t bear the thought of anymore heartbreak,” he sighed. “Look, Rabbit… Saiyans mate for life. You bite him back, that’s it. You know this. And Saiyans are long-lived… maybe your crystal…?”

                “Maybe,” she sighed. “But Turles… I’m all he knows, other than the memories he has of his first mate. And I saved his life, I helped him put the pieces back together. What if…” Usagi’s eyes squinted shut as she blinked away tears. “What if he’s just staying because of a sense of duty or debt? I don’t want that for him; I want him to be happy.”

                “You haven’t checked through the bond, woman?” Turles groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

                “I… well…” Usagi shrugged a little and blushed; apparently it wouldn’t have been a second thought to Turles to invade someone’s privacy like that. “I didn’t want to be rude, you know? Just delving into his mind like that, reading his most private thoughts. Especially after all he’s been through; I didn’t want to accidentally stumble upon a memory that he would much rather never share with anyone. I know that might upset him; that’s why I never looked.”

                “And maybe because you’re a little terrified of finding out how he really feels?” Turles ventured understandingly. He patted her shoulder when she nodded and looked at the floor. “It’s alright to be a little scared of something like that, Rabbit. I know that I was… still am,” he admitted with a chuckle. “Why don’t you just look through the bond when you return?”

                “Maybe… maybe I will. I’ll think about it.” She removed a cake from the rack and paid for it as she pondered Turles’s advice, and was about to say something when a massive earthquake rocked the building, followed by a series of explosions nearby. “What the…?” Usagi fell silent at the look of horror on Turles’s face and waited when she saw his ki flames appear and flare up and down in a pattern.

                Then came the words she’d feared and expected. “Arctic’s found us.”

                “I can take him… but… Vegeta…”

                “He wants to be the one,” Turles said knowingly. “I can’t blame him. But Vegeta’s not here right now, Rabbit. Come on,” he ordered hurriedly as the ki signals from the other Saiyans became frantic and laced with power-ups and violence. He could feel the energy of Arctic’s warriors, and while he couldn’t get an accurate headcount, he knew that they were grossly outnumbered. “There’s no time to get him, either,” he added as he grabbed her, ran out the door and blasted into the air at top speed, already powered up to his maximum.

                They landed in the midst of a total melee, Saiyan warriors—male and female, adult and child alike—fighting viciously for survival against an army that outnumbered them ten to one. And it appeared that for every Saiyan that had fallen, they’d taken at least five others with them. And Broly and Raditz hadn’t even arrived yet.

                Usagi immediately transformed and while she couldn’t use a powerful blast without taking allies out in the process, she was making quite the impressive dent in the enemy warriors with fire, lightning and ice while she darted around the impromptu battlefield, defending those that most needed her help. Wishing she knew how to read their ki signals, Cosmos tried to signal any and every Saiyan she could to retreat, but no one was listening to her; like typical Saiyan warriors, they were all so caught up in the fight that they couldn’t and wouldn’t take orders from anyone except an alpha male. “Turles! If everyone can get behind me I can finish this!” She shouted over the din as she skewered someone on Uranus’s Space Sword.

                “On it, angel!” Raditz voiced yelled as a warrior nearly blindsided her and he drove his fist through the enemy’s skull. “And watch your damned back, woman!” He added before pecking her on the lips quickly and diving right back into the fray.

                **_Everyone retreat and get the fuck out of the way!_** Broly hammered out furiously with his ki, over and over until he’d gotten through the bloodlust of some of the stronger Saiyans and they began to heed his orders.

                “RAISE HELL, MY ANGEL!”

                Cosmos turned to see the battlefield cleared besides the enemies she was currently fighting, and grinned savagely, looking more like one of the Saiyans than she would ever know. “Fucked with the wrong people! **CRISIS BLAST**!” With a sweep of her staff, a bright light engulfed everything in front of her, the beam shooting out across the ocean, and everything in its wake was obliterated into piles of ashes.

                Turles was there first, catching her as she hit her knees. “You good, Rabbit?”

                “Yeah,” she panted, using him to keep herself steady. “Takes… takes a lot of… power… I’ll be alright… in a minute…”

                Raditz and Broly were there next, keeping a hold on her and eyeing her worriedly. “Detransform, angel. I know how much energy it takes to sustain Cosmos for you after a good fight.”

                “Kay,” she whispered, sagging into their combined embraces as she let go of her transformation and her hair and eyes melted back to blonde and blue.

                “Better?” Raditz asked gently.

                “Yeah,” she sighed, “much, thank you. Mmm…” Once Raditz’s lips broke away from hers she glared at him a little. “Raddy… don’t do that,” she whispered softly.

                “She’s marked, boy,” Broly informed him, but not without sympathy.

                “Oh,” Raditz breathed out, his expression sinking immediately when Turles tugged her shirt to the side to show the mating mark. “Sorry, angel… I didn’t know…”

                “We didn’t tell you because—“ Turles was cut off by a ki blast throwing him back and he grunted loudly as he collided with a brick wall.

                “ANGEL!”

                “USAGI!”

                “Rabbit?” Turles asked hoarsely as he coughed from the dust surrounding them. Damn if his body hadn’t taken out a portion of the wall he’d hit. “Rabbit…?” He asked again, waving at the dust so he could see her. He could feel her in his arms and—his eyes dilated and his tail swished slightly in reaction to the scent of blood in the air… her blood. “RABBIT! WAKE UP!” He yelled, shaking her furiously. The ki wound to the right side of her chest was visible at that point and he put pressure on it to slow the blood flow as he screamed for his brother.

                Raditz didn’t come, though, and the sound of battle could be heard from outside the building they’d gone through. _Get her somewhere safe, Turles! NOW!_

                “Wake up for me, Rabbit,” Turles begged shakily. “Please, just for a minute.” With nothing else to do for her until he’d gotten her to safety, he shocked her hard with his ki and was surprised to see her actually open her eyes. “Don’t you dare!” He shouted when she closed them again, slapping her across the face. “Wake up, Usagi! Right NOW!”

                “Iie… gomen…”

                “I don’t understand you, woman, but you wake the fuck up right now and teleport your ass somewhere far away and safe, do you hear me!? And if you don’t I swear by all the gods of war that I will beat the living shit out of you, Vegeta’s reaction be damned!” Turles frowned and gave her a curt nod when those blue eyes opened once more and she squeezed his hand weakly. “Good girl. Now teleport. Then I’ll take care of the rest, ok?”

                It took Turles a moment to get his bearings when his surroundings suddenly changed to the inside of a clean, warm, homey cabin, but once he had them he was ignoring the snarls coming from behind him and rushing to get Usagi on the large bed against the window. “Good work, Rabbit, you did your job. Now just stay the fuck alive for me or I’ll seriously kick your ass when this is all over,” he said rapidly as he began to strip her shirt off.

                Well, part of it, at least. He was thrown down to the floor and pinned in place by a shorter warrior that was growling and snapping his teeth at him, and due to his concussion it took Turles a long minute to focus. “Get the fuck off of me before she dies, damn it,” he grunted, shoving ineffectually at the bare chest above him. “ ** _NOW, VEGETA_**!” He yelled when the prince didn’t give him so much as an inch. “Your mate is DYING. Now help her, **_damn it_**!”

                That seemed to snap the Saiyan prince out of it and he stood to examine his mate, his hands trembling as they hovered over the hole in her chest. “What happened?” He whispered.

                “Arctic,” Turles replied curtly as he climbed to his feet and began to pull things out of his pockets, out of his armor and off of his belt. “Hold her down, this is going to sting.”

                At a loss as to what to do other than follow orders, Vegeta pinned Usagi’s arms as Turles opened his rum bottle and liberally poured it over the wound, ignoring her whimpers and the way she was weakly arching and trying to escape the pain. “Hold still, _r’sha_ … he’s going to fix you,” her mate whispered shakily. “Just hang on for me, love…”

                “Keep talking to her. Keep her awake if possible,” Turles instructed as he dug into a few pouches and began to mix some things together in a clean bowl he’d swiftly retrieved from the kitchen. “Ugh… my last one, too. I can’t believe I’m doing this… you’re fucking lucky I love you, Rabbit,” Turles snorted as he unwrapped a small fruit and began to pulverize it along with the other meds. He did pluck a few seeds from it and stow them before finishing the poultice, though. “Hold her for me again.”

                “This is going to hurt, Usa… but it’ll make you better. Don’t move,” Vegeta whispered as he held her arms down once more and Turles began to fill the hole in her chest with the mush in the bowl, spreading it liberally over and around the wound.

                “Burns…”

                “That’s normal, Rabbit. Means it’s working. Just don’t move and let the fruit work its magic, ok?” Turles said soothingly as he smoothed back her hair from her face. “It’s fruit from the Tree of Might. It’s also going to give you a nice little power boost along with its healing properties,” he said with a tiny smirk. “Not that you need the extra energy. Drink?” He offered the Saiyan prince bent over the blonde, extending the bottle towards him.

                Vegeta gratefully took the bottle of rum and turned it up for several moments before handing it back and returning to his examination of the wound in her chest, careful not to touch the poultice that seemed to already be closing the gaping hole.

                “Geta… I…”

                “I know,” he replied, holding a finger over her lips to silence her. “You’re not dying, woman. You don’t have to say it.” The relief in her blue eyes hurt him a little; she was clearly glad that she didn’t have to say the L word.

                “Cold,” she whispered with a tiny shiver.

                “Shit,” Turles rumbled. “Usagi, calm down, I can hear your heart rate and it’s too high. Vegeta, she’s going into shock.”

                “I am?” Usagi asked with a touch of panic.

                “Normal for this sort of wound,” Vegeta murmured soothingly as he climbed into bed with her and warmed her with his ki. “Just relax, _r’sha_.”

############################

                “She smells like you _and_ them,” Vegeta rumbled.

                Turles simply nodded a little without even bothering to turn around; he was too busy surveying the beautiful landscape outside of the little house on the tiny planet.

                “Why?”

                “Heh… well… I felt left out and decided to get a taste for myself,” Turles chuckled. “Just a kiss, I assure you, Highness. It won’t happen again. Then Raditz kissed her in the heat of battle; he didn’t know you’d marked her. And Broly, well… he just happened to help hold her up when she started to fall after blasting a few hundred soldiers into ash.”

                “Quit fucking kissing my mate,” he growled out. “I’ll let it go this once since you all likely saved her life.”

                “Yes, Highness,” Turles replied with a grin. “How is she?”

                “Sleeping soundly and nearly healed up. How’s the head? Does it need to be treated?”

                “Nah, I’ve had worse than this and walked away from it.” He turned then and blinked at the sight of his prince wearing a pair of baggy gray sweatpants.

                “Thought it would be polite,” Vegeta said knowingly. “I wouldn’t want to be looking at your dick all damned night, either.” He looked up at the stars and frowned. “Can you contact your brother?”

                “Already did; he and Broly managed to spirit the remaining Saiyans to safety. We lost over two dozen warriors in the fighting including two females… Usagi’s going to be very upset,” Turles sighed. “We lost Fasha. But Broly found a wetnurse for the brat that Usa delivered.”

                “She went down defending the brat?”

                “Yeah… the other woman as well.”

                “Then it was a warrior’s death. Her child should be proud of its mother,” Vegeta said simply. “Come on in, it’s getting cold,” he added after a while of just looking at the night sky.


	15. Chapter 15

It was in and out for a while, but Usagi remembered brief flashes of being fed, kissed, touched and held while she healed. Sometimes the first one was Turles, but all of the last three were always Vegeta. “How long?” She asked when she woke for the millionth time. Only this time she didn’t want to go back to sleep right away.

                Turles was at her side in an instant and examining her wound carefully. “Four days. How do you feel, Rabbit?”

                “Weak, but… think I’ll be alright.” Usagi’s vision was a little blurry as she looked for Vegeta, but she couldn’t see or sense him in the cabin.

                “Hungry? Thristy?”

                “Need to pee,” she admitted sourly. “And I hate to say it, but… I think I’m going to need some help to the bathroom.” No sooner had she asked, she was being hoisted against a broad, bare chest and was carried to the bathroom and placed carefully on the toilet. Already naked, she simply did her business once Turles’s back was turned and peed for what seemed like a week, trying not to moan in relief. “Dear gods, you’d think I hadn’t relieved myself in my sleep,” she muttered.

                “Not often,” Turles informed her, peeking over his shoulder. “All done?”

                Usagi nodded and let him carry her back and tuck her in, marveling at the lack of pain in her chest. The wound was nearly healed all the way and it barely hurt at all. “Geta?”

                “Outside. He’s been training nonstop whenever I’ve pretty much kicked him out. Your mate refused to leave your side for the first forty-eight hours, you know. And he’ll only go away for an hour or two at a time… with frequent breaks to peek in and check on you.”

                “What a mother hen,” Usagi chuckled softly. _Hey, my sexy wild man._ Now focusing on him, Usagi felt his ki stop dead in midair and she giggled when she heard an immediate purr rolling through the bond. “Turles… I think you might want to go check out the hot spring for a little while… I can sense that Geta is… um…”

                “Say no more, Rabbit.” Turles laughed as he swung open the door and Vegeta’s momentum nearly put him on his face—he’d clearly been about to blast right through the wood. “Call me when happy time is over, you two. Oh, and Usagi…? You’re in heat,” he added with a grin before shutting the door and taking off.

                “I’m in heat?” She asked incredulously.

                “For the last day,” Vegeta replied, licking his lips in anticipation as he stood still and simply waited for her to indicate if she was willing to mate. In her condition, he wouldn’t push the issue at all, and his beast was more than a little wary about the idea anyway. The monster definitely wouldn’t even let him get it up if he thought he would hurt his mate, no matter how badly he’d been burning for her since he first smelled her fertility.

                “You’re wearing clothes?” Usagi asked a little nervously as she carefully sat up with only a slight wince. She laughed when Vegeta immediately stripped off the sweats and tossed them across the room. “Well, I guess I spoke too soon… Geta? Why are you over there?”

                “Because if I take another fucking step you’re going to wind up under me for the rest of the day, Usagi… I can smell you from here and it’s already making me a little crazy.”

                “Huh… what does it smell like?” She asked curiously.

                “Every dessert I’ve ever eaten, only even better.” _It makes me want to eat you alive,_ he whispered seductively through the bond. He watched her pull something from her subspace and swallow it with a glass of water. “What was that?”

                “Contraceptive,” she replied softly. “If… that’s ok?”

                Daring to step towards her, Vegeta couldn’t stop his forward motion once it had begun, just as he’d suspected. “I’m in no state to become a father again. Not yet, anyway,” he said as he slid in beside her and nibbled her throat. “Smells so fucking good,” he groaned, already rolling on top of her, unable to even stop the movements of his body as he slowly began to arouse his mate and swish his tail lazily through the air, spreading his musk. “If you’re not well enough, you need to say something now,” he breathed in her ear as he used his tail to rub her clit, wanting nothing more than to have her wet and ready for him.

                “Want you,” she whispered, her thoughts beyond hazy from all the tail roofies. “But…” A glimmer of thought broke through the bond from him and she blinked up at him with slight hesitation.

                “What’s wrong, _r’sha_?” Something was definitely wrong, he could sense it through the half-bond and it was more than a little unsettling. Vegeta immediately ignored his roaring beast and waited for her mind to clear a little more while he ceased the motions of his tail. “Usagi.”

The Queen of the Stars gnawed on her lower lip before meeting his gaze once more and sighing. How he could utter just her name in such a commanding tone and convey an order to tell him what she was thinking in just three syllables was beyond her. But he did it with an ease that spoke of years of giving commands, and she found herself wondering about his past for the millionth time. “Just worried about you,” she half-lied. “I know that I’ll wake up one morning in the near future and you won’t be here—“ She ignored the slight, astonished shake of his head. “—and I’ll worry and wonder for decades if you’re alright. That’s all. I know you said you wouldn’t leave, but…” Looking away, she shrugged slightly. “I don’t want you to stay out of a sense of debt, Vegeta.”

Vegeta huffed in utter disbelief; she was intelligent, but sometimes her lack of common sense astounded him. The prince simply reached down and traced her mark with the tips of his fingers, giving her another huff and a nod when she looked downright surprised. Dear gods, didn’t she _get it_!? He wasn’t going anywhere, and he obviously wanted her for his mate once he could get his shit together well enough to function as a proper life partner.

“You’re _seriously_ coming with me?” She asked slowly. A grunt this time, and a brush of his mouth over the bite mark, followed by his hand rising to her jaw and cupping her face, his thumb stroking tenderly over her cheek.

“Mine.” Funny how such a simple word could cause such a reaction from her since she’d read that book; her eyes flying wide in disbelief and astonishment, her body scooting away just slightly… _as if she could actually escape_ , he thought wryly. Vegeta trapped her easily in his arms, lowering his mouth to hers tenderly. “Mine,” he whispered again. “Forever, Usagi. I love you and that won’t change. Ever.”

“But, Vegeta, I—I have to—I can’t—“

He silenced her protests with another kiss, this one harder than the last as he pulled her flush against his chest and tugged her legs around his waist. Vegeta could feel her fear through the bond—not of him, but a deep fear of being left once he’d finished healing... or worse, after several years together, and Vegeta realizing that she wasn’t the one for him. And try as he might to reassure her through the half-bond, she was stubbornly refusing to hear it or believe it. She really, truly thought that he would split like Raditz and the others had. “Mine.”

“But I—uh— _damn it_ ,” she finished with a little moan when his mouth and hands began to slowly wander her, finding every little place that set her off. It had only been a few weeks since they’d begun this new kind of therapy, but he was a very quick learner and could have her melting like butter in less than a couple of minutes.

“Mine?”

She heard it as a question that time, his rough voice rising a little at the end of the word, and she couldn’t help but nod helplessly as he began to press his entry. “Not fair,” she whimpered, her hips jerking a little as his thumb found her clit and began to move in slow, delicious circles. “Not used to—“ She moaned as his mouth found her breast and began to suck. “—to being seduced…”

Usagi could have sworn she heard him chuckle at that, and his eyes said it all when she met them. Smug satisfaction combined with amusement… and a deep wanting that had her relaxing against him, her hips moving beneath him in surrender as he began to flex and thrust forward. She heard him grunt the moment her eyes fluttered shut, and opened them again to find him watching her intensely.

“Usagi,” he whispered gently. _Tell me what’s wrong._ She’d give him the truth now, he knew it, and he knew through the bond that the possibility of him leaving wasn’t the only thing bothering her.

She tried to keep her mouth shut, but as she began to spiral towards her climax and tighten around him, she spoke without meaning to. “In love with you,” she whimpered helplessly. She wasn’t sure what she expected after that, but when he moaned her name and surged into her, his mouth devouring her own, she cried out softly, her hands rising up to cling to him as she came long and hard.

So hard that she nearly passed out and had to lie back for support, her entire body trembling in the aftermath as he dialed down the intensity and moved inside of her gently. “Geta?”

He hushed her with a soft noise as his chest began to rumble in a reassuring purr. “Mine,” he breathed into her hair. Vegeta silenced her again when she opened her mouth and he moved her porcelain hand to place it over his heart. “Yours, Usagi,” he whispered hoarsely, uncaring that it made him sound like a woman in his own language. He was hers, whether he liked it or not. If she commanded him to destroy the galaxy and lay it low, he would do it happily for her pleasure. “I’m as much yours as you are mine, goddess.”

Usagi couldn’t help but smile and shake her head in amazement. “I love it when you talk, you know.”

 _I like it better when you scream,_ he thought wryly as he gave her a firm thrust. “Come for me,” he breathed in her ear as he resumed the pace, his purr hitching a little as it rumbled in a rhythm meant to seduce, meant only for his mate. He groaned when she suddenly tightened and moaned his name deliriously, one of her hands clutching at his arm tightly as he rode her through her climax. “Hang on,” he purred, withdrawing in order to scoop her into his arms.

Usagi blinked when he headed for his little nest in front of the fireplace and she looked up at him curiously. “Wouldn’t the bed be more comfortable?”

Vegeta simply shook his head and laid her out on the blankets that reeked of his scent, the strength of it telling his sensitive Saiyan nose that he was safe within his own territory. He was about to do something that he’d been afraid of trying, terrified that it would set off a flashback and he would wind up harming her. But now that she was in heat, her luscious scent overwhelming every sense he had, making his beast purr with delight, he thought he just might be able to do this for her. Especially if he felt secure within his own territory. And her admission of love only made him want to do it even more. “Mine,” he reminded her as he leaned down and drug his lips up her neck.

Usagi was about to agree with him, but she felt his mouth travelling south, past her breasts, and she sat up hurriedly when he nipped at her inner thighs, wincing at a bit of pain in her chest. “No, Vegeta.” The smoldering look he gave her nearly made her lie back and shut her mouth… nearly. “No,” she whispered gently, drawing him up her. “Just make love to me, Vegeta. I don’t need or want you to push your limits. Not those limits, anyway.” She knew what he’d been through, and would never complain about a lack of oral sex after seeing some of the memories in his head when he was having nightmares or flashbacks.

The soft hand stroking his jaw made him purr louder, but he drew away from it after a moment and returned to where he’d been licking and kissing his way inwards. “Mine,” he growled up at her when she drew breath to protest once more.

“But you don’t need to—“

“Want to,” he countered softly, followed by a slow, torturous lick to her inner folds. “Mine.”

“If you’re sure,” she sighed happily in reaction to another slow stroke of his tongue. Usagi was careful to keep her hands to the side as she laid back, knowing that her fingers buried in his hair would likely trigger a bad memory for him, but she couldn’t help arching her hips in reaction to his gentle exploration. And once he began to suck, ceasing the feather light flickering of his tongue over her nub, her head tipped back and she moaned his name deliriously… until he suddenly stopped, leaving her panting for air and trembling for more. “Get up here if you need to stop,” she begged.

“ _R’sha_ ,” he purred, giving her another lick. When she didn’t respond except to whimper and lift her hips in reaction, he gave her one more stroke of his tongue. “Mine,” he repeated. He smirked up at her when understanding dawned on her face and she huffed down at him impatiently.

“Fine, I’m yours, damn it! Just please stop teasing me!” Usagi growled at him. She wasn’t quite ready when his mouth immediately dove back into her heat and he began to suckle her aggressively, and the sudden onslaught of intense pleasure sent her crashing over the edge. Usagi yelled his name as she clutched at the blanket beneath her and arched her back so hard that it should have popped, and when she felt him climb back up, she could hardly see his face through the haze of desire clouding her eyes. “Make love to me,” she whispered, “please, Geta.”

The Saiyan prince merely nodded as his mouth descended to her throat, his hands roaming and teasing her breasts as he pressed his entry and began to thrust inside of her slowly. “Mine,” he whispered, no longer completely hiding the edge of possessiveness he felt whenever he took her. “My Usagi.”

“I love you,” she whispered, her voice and hands trembling at the admission. “I was afraid… afraid you’d leave… but I won’t stop you if you want—“ Usagi was cut off by a deep, forceful kiss as he moved inside of her a little harder, and she felt a wave of emotion flooding her through the bond.

“ _R’sha_ ,” he moaned softly as she tightened and he released her mouth, his inner beast rising up to take control and run his lips over her shoulder. He felt a driving instinct to curl them back and bite down and didn’t bother to resist it, her voice in his ear telling him once more how she loved him as his teeth punctured her shoulder and strengthened the bond. Vegeta groaned loudly and trembled when he felt her lips at his shoulder, her teeth grazing lightly over the scars marring his skin. “Don’t tease,” he whispered. “Not about that, _r’sha_ …”

There was a moment’s hesitation where Usagi simply rested her forehead there and clutched at his arms as she panted for air through another climax, but then Vegeta felt her lips there again, her tongue flickering out to taste him and her teeth biting down lightly. He wasn’t even going to ask her if she was sure about it; if she wasn’t heeding the first warning then she was most definitely serious about returning the mark. “Together, Usagi… bite me when you’re coming…”

Vegeta surged forward, mindful of her injury as he took her a little harder, his tail stroking her clit as he began to lick and nibble at her shoulder and listened to her soft cries of ecstasy. And then it was his turn to yell as he suddenly felt her tighten around him and a hot fire ripped through his shoulder, spreading through his body rapidly, bringing out his beast to clamp down on her mark once more and send them both crashing over the edge harder than ever. “Mine,” he said with a shuddering moan as he slumped on top of her.

“Yours,” she replied a little shyly, in sheer disbelief that she’d actually bitten him back. They were truly mated now, bound for life, and she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about the level of commitment that that implied. He was really ok with that, wasn’t he? “Vegeta?” She blinked up at the green eyes looking down at her and gave him a shaky smile; he’d gone Super Saiyan there at the end and hadn’t even realized it.

The Saiyan prince drew her hand up to his mouth and kissed the knuckles. “ _R’sha._ My mate, my beloved.”

“Forever,” she whispered.

“Yes, _r’sha_. Forever.”

##############################

Turles grinned at the sight in front of the fireplace when he returned in the wee hours of the morning to find Usagi curled up with Vegeta in the prince’s little nest of blankets, both of their shoulders sporting what looked like several overlapping bite marks, the scent of sex, blood and her heat hanging in the air. “About damned time,” he whispered as he closed the door and went back outside. “Guess I’m sleeping out here; I’ll be sporting a raging boner in less than five minutes if I smell what happened in there much longer.”

“So it happened, then?” His brother asked from the rock he was perched on out front.

Turles sat down next to him and Broly and handed over his liquor bottle. “Drink, brother.”

Raditz complied and emptied the bottle before handing it back. “She’s happy, that’s what matters,” he sighed. “What about you, Turley?”

“Same. She’s happy and that’s all that matters… though I’m not in love with her in quite the same fashion that you are, Radu. More of a brotherly thing, honestly.”

“Same,” Broly confirmed, sighing as he stared out at the night sky. “If any of us deserved that kind of happiness with her, though, it’s Vegeta. I know just what he’s been through.”

###############################

Usagi woke first and carefully extracted herself from Vegeta’s arms, smiling down at him as she took in the content, soft look on his face, the first time she’d seen him truly relaxed since they’d met. Then her inner thoughts were broken by voices outside and she hurriedly threw on some clothes before peeking out the door and gaping in astonishment.

“How did the two of you even land here with the barrier over the planet?” Usagi asked once she was well away from the house. “And keep it down, Geta’s still sleeping.”

“Sorry,” Broly chuckled. “From what Turles told us, he didn’t hardly sleep the entire time you were out. You’re looking good, Majesty. How’s the wound? Turles said it was pretty serious,” he added with a frown.

“I don’t remember much, but yeah… I nearly died. How is everyone?” She asked as she warily eyed Raditz, who was looking at her like a drowning man looked at dry land.

“They’re fine,” Raditz answered softly, daring to step forward. “And you?”

Usagi didn’t stop him from tugging her shirt to the side and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Broly muttered something about giving them a moment and wandered off towards the hot spring and Turles, who was taking a long soak, and the moment he was out of sight Raditz hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry, angel.”

“Raddy, you have nothing to be sorry for… I’m the one that’s sorry… sorry that I can’t be with both of you in some way. Sorry that this is hurting you. And don’t lie, I know it is.”

Raditz sighed and nodded into her hair as he drew in her scent; she reeked of Vegeta, and her scent had changed just slightly, to that of a fully mated female… and that smell nearly brought tears to his eyes. “Are you happy, angel? Truly happy?” A tiny nod answered him and he forced a smile for her benefit. “Then that’s all I care about.”

And despite his heartache, he couldn’t help but wink down at her. “May I kiss the bride, at least?”

Usagi was honestly amazed that he didn’t try to slip her tongue when he bent his head and kissed her long and slow, his chest vibrating in that soft purr meant only for her. “Alright, Raddy,” she whispered breathlessly when he finally released her, “that’s the _last_ one, _seriously_. Dear gods, you could give kissing lessons and make millions, I swear.” Then she turned and her skin flushed bright red at the sight of Vegeta, who was visibly fuming in the doorway, his fists clenching and unclenching as he growled loudly at the both of them.


	16. Chapter 16

Before she could even utter a word, Raditz was pushing in front of her, putting himself defensively between her and Vegeta. “My apologies, Highness. It was my fault, not your mate’s. Please don’t be mad at her when it was I who initiated the contact,” he apologized formally.

                Usagi’s eyes widened when Vegeta immediately burst into golden ki flames and darted forward, driving Raditz into the ground as he screamed out a Saiyan battle cry. “Shit! Geta, please don’t!” She yelled as her mate began a beatdown so severe that… huh… or **_not._** There wasn’t an actual scratch on Raditz as he simply blocked and matched the prince for speed while he managed to get his back away from the ground. “Ok, that’s it! Cut it out right now!”

                She was snagged from behind the moment she tried to move in to break them up, and she wound up elbowing Turles in the gut for his trouble. He wouldn’t hear it, though. “Hell, no, Majesty. You stay right here.”

                “Don’t order me around, Turles!”

                “No offense, Majesty, but you’re the Queen of the Saiyans now and it’s our responsibility to protect your royal ass. So stay put. I don’t want you getting mixed up between two fighting Super Saiyans.” Turles grinned when she opened her mouth to say something else and only wound up gaping at the sight of Raditz bursting into flames of gold, his hair melting to match Vegeta’s. “Broly told me that when you were hit by Arctic’s ki blast, Raditz flew into such an utter rage that he went straight to Legendary the first time without even realizing it. There wasn’t even a power-up. Broly said that he also actually held Arctic off for several minutes on his own, long enough for them to take out the remains of his troops. Faced with so many of us against just himself, the little purple freak retreated and took off in his ship.”

                _That_ had Usagi’s attention, but she still kept one eye on the testosterone-laden fight taking place just above their heads. “Any idea where he went?”

                “He can’t have gotten far,” Turles snickered. “He barely left anyone to man his main ship in orbit, and while he was occupied with the fight on the ground, Broly sent up some of the fastest warriors he had to disable everything they could on his battlecruiser.”

                If Raditz and Vegeta hadn’t just started to really exchange blows just then, Usagi would have been rolling on the ground laughing at the knowledge that Arctic had had his shit fucked with. “Ok, you two! Seriously, that’s **_enough_**!” She shouted up at them, powering up to Cosmos the moment that Vegeta’s hair grew to his knees and Raditz went flying through the air from a well-placed punch.

                She caught him before he could hit the ground and swiftly placed herself between the two of them when Vegeta shot down to finish the job. The prince came to screeching halt just in front of her and growled softly. “Move, woman.”

                “No! You’ve made your point, damn it! Now quit with all the posturing and the theatrics so we can put our heads together and go kick Arctic’s ass! …Or had you forgotten about that little vendetta?” Cosmos asked with a tiny smirk. “Turles just told me that Arctic got his ride boosted and isn’t far from the Saiyan’s refuge.”

                Boosted…? He remembered that word from somewhere and suddenly had an image in his mind of a car up on blocks, the door hanging open and all the electronics missing… and he actually grinned at the thought. “Score one for Saiyan looters,” he chuckled as he powered down. He was all serious again as he stepped around Usagi and glared at Raditz. “Touch my mate like that again and I’ll finish the fucking job, warrior. Understand me?”

                Raditz just sighed and nodded, preferring not to speak due to his broken jaw. But when Cosmos shifted back to Usagi and kneeled over him, cataloging and healing his bruises, cuts and broken bones, he did mutter an apology as his jaw healed. “Sorry if I got you in trouble, angel… I was just saying goodbye, that’s all.”

                Usagi felt tears prick her eyes and nodded silently; she’d known that Raditz would likely take off. If he couldn’t be with her, he wouldn’t stand by and watch while another man had what he loved so dearly. “I understand… if you ever need my help, you know how to call me.”

                _I’ll give you a minute, but if he kisses you again I will rip his face off,_ Vegeta whispered in her mind as he grabbed Turles and shoved him towards the house. He could feel his mate’s anguish at the thought of never seeing Raditz again, her guilt over breaking his heart, even though he’d done much the same to her fifty years ago.

                _Thank you, Vegeta,_ Usagi replied gratefully. She waited until they were alone before hugging Raditz tightly, tears burning her eyes as he returned it just as firmly, the arms and tail wound about her trembling. “I know how you get into trouble… so be careful, ok?”

                “And you, my angel,” Raditz sighed into her hair, drawing in her scent for what would likely be the last time. He wanted nothing more than to say the words, but he knew it was too late. And if he said them now, he’d only wind up hurting her further. “Have Turles find me when the fight’s over… or if you need my help. But after seeing our prince in action, I doubt I’ll be needed. And Usagi… I’m sorry. For everything.”

                “You were forgiven for it a long time ago,” she whispered as the tears finally escaped her eyes and fell onto his shoulder.

                “Go on now, angel. Maybe I’ll see you again someday,” he said firmly as he released her. “Fuck it,” he muttered, yanking her back to him for one last kiss. It was short, but it left them both a little lightheaded, and Raditz prayed to the gods that he’d managed to convey every ounce of his love for her in that one simple action.

                Unable to watch him go, Usagi went inside and sent her mate a wave of gratitude when he gave her her space and continued to talk quietly with Turles at the kitchen table, sparing her only a glance now and then to check on her while he sent wave after wave of comfort through the mating bond. She didn’t even notice that Turles had went out to find Broly until she felt Vegeta’s lips on the crescent moon on her forehead. “Oh. Hey. When do we go?”

                “Tomorrow morning. You alright?”

                “I will be,” she sighed, forcing a tiny smile for his benefit. “And I love **_you_** , just so you know.”

                “I do. Which is why I’m not angry with you, _r’sha_.” He scooped her up then and carried her to the nest in front of the fireplace, where he laid her down and kissed her gently. “If you’re not in the mood, I’ll understand, but…”

                Even in her funk, Usagi giggled when she felt him already hard and ready, pressing against her thigh. “You’re such an insatiable horndog, Geta.”

                “Yeah, I am,” he agreed smugly. “You sure? I can take a raincheck.”

                Usagi knew exactly what he was doing and wasn’t about to turn down the offer of physical comfort to help ease her heartache. “I’m always sure about you, Geta,” she whispered as she felt his tail slide between her thighs to check her. It didn’t find her wet, so it began to tease and caress the sensitive flesh while he slowly worshipped her with his hands and mouth, making her arch and moan into every touch and slow, loving kiss. _I’m ready for you, Geta,_ she finally whimpered in his mind, hooking a leg around one of his to draw him closer. _Please make love to me,_ r’sha.

                “Tell me you’re mine, Usagi,” he breathed as he filled her and began to move at an unhurried pace, lifting her hips with one arm to fill her even further. “I need to hear you say it, beautiful.”

                “I’m yours,” she moaned, her head rolling back and her nails digging into his hips as she came. “I belong only to you, Geta… dear gods… please don’t stop… feels so good…” She heard him demanding softly in her ear that she come for him again and immediately crashed right over the edge when he moved a little harder, making her see stars behind her eyes.

“Come with me, love… _please_ ,” she begged after an hour of nothing but wave after wave of rapture running through her body.

Dripping with sweat from the strain of withholding his own pleasure, Vegeta nodded and kissed her forcefully, blocking out the sensation of her fingers gripping his back, a constant mantra of reminder in the back of his mind that she was his mate and would never, ever hurt him. _You’re mine, Usa… and I love you,_ he purred just as he came, moaning her name aloud as she milked him of his seed. “Love you so much, _r’sha_ …”

#############################

                They took their time getting ready in the morning. All four of them ate a big breakfast and talked only a little; most of the conversation was between Broly and Vegeta while Turles continued to give Usagi a troubled look on occasion. She ignored it though, what had happened between her and Raditz was their business and no one else’s, and even though she felt guilty for what had transpired, she knew deep down that none of it was her fault. She loved Vegeta, and nothing would change that. Raditz had had his chance.

                “Geta?” She finally asked softly when Turles had mumbled something about checking the space pods and had gone out to look them over.

                “Hm?”

                “You’re not going to go fight in those sweats, are you?” She asked with a tiny smile. When he shrugged she chuckled and shook her head and delved into his mind for just a moment before waving her hand. Usagi whistled softly at the sight of him in blue spandex and white Saiyan armor, the crest of his house emblazoned over his heart. “Wow… can I peel all of that spandex off with my teeth later on?”

                “Not bad, Highness,” Broly said approvingly, reaching out to check the straps on his armor. “It’s just like your old armor, only without the shoulder pads.”

                Vegeta grunted in response, but shot his mate a tiny grin. “After the battle I’ll even run around naked again for a while if you’d like.”

                “Mmm… promises, promises.”

                “Hey! Be quiet!” Broly said quickly as his scouter started beeping. A slow grin crept over his face as he scanned through an energy readout, and he locked eyes with Vegeta and nodded. “Honestly, after all the shit we ripped from his ship, I’m amazed he made it this far.”

                “He’s here?” Usagi asked in alarm, immediately running outside to take a look at her barriers. “Turles!” She shouted, “Arctic’s in our orbit!” She gave the warning just as they felt the vibration of impact; Arctic was firing on her massive Silence Wall, but to no avail. “It’s ok,” she said reassuringly when she felt Vegeta’s hand on her shoulder. “He won’t be able to break through that… hm… are you alright with me going Cosmos?” A nip to her mark made her smile and she transformed immediately, raising a hand to strengthen her handiwork. “He can blast away at that all day long and not scratch it,” she said smugly. “Sure you don’t want me to just blast his ass out of the sky?”

                “Arctic’s mine, woman,” Vegeta reminded her gruffly. “But you can send him a message of sorts to stop wasting his time and simply land.”

                “Oh, that’s _easy_!” She giggled, grateful that her mate would allow her to help him out in some small fashion. “There! Cannons are frozen solid and won’t fire no matter how hard he tries to unthaw them!” She grinned savagely at them all as she waved her hand again. “Ooooops… I seemed to have disabled his thrusters as well… poor thing. He’ll be stuck orbiting us for eternity.”

                “And if he doesn’t come down he’ll be stuck floating in a tin can for the rest of his life,” Turles chuckled.

                “He won’t,” Vegeta said flatly, not amused in the least as he fought down a wave of flashbacks. “He’ll come. I can sense his ki moving towards the pods.”

                Usagi heard Turles grumble something from behind her and turned her head to find him watching her curiously yet again. “What?” She mouthed silently. When he jerked his head back towards the woods she blinked and shrugged. _Geta, I think Turles needs to talk to me._

 _Can’t it wait, woman?_ He asked tersely, his attention totally focused on the ship above them.

                _Not if Turles thinks he’s going to be dead in twenty minutes,_ she replied tartly.

                “Oh,” he said aloud. “Go on then, make it quick,” he said as he tried to think about something other than impending battle and realized that Turles was merely concerned for his older brother. “And Turles. I have a message for your brother.”

                “That is?”

                “ _V’enra_ ,” he replied simply in Saiyan.

                “You sure about that, Highness?” Turles asked incredulously, his eyes widening in shock. That he would even admit… let alone think that far ahead so soon… “I’ll tell him, Highness. I know he’ll be deeply honored by such a thing.”

                Vegeta snorted and chuckled at the same time, sounding more and more like his old self. “I’m **_sure_** he will,” he muttered dryly.

                Usagi just looked between the two of them before following Turles out of earshot. “The hell was that all about?”

                “I’m sure he’ll tell you later. Look… Raditz…” Turles sighed and shook his head. “You don’t have to take it, but… he asked me to give you this,” he finally finished, handing her a rolled up piece of paper.

                Cosmos unrolled it and tears filled her eyes at the sight of a braided length of black hair, tied off with what could only be one of the red bands he always wore around his thigh and arm. “No… I’ll keep it,” she whispered, waving her hand over it to preserve his scent. “Here… I should…” She tucked it in her subspace and retrieved a pair of scissors, holding them between her teeth as she removed her choker, tied off six inches of hair, and braided the mass. The moment she cut it off it turned to gold, and she handed it over. “It’ll never lose its scent,” she informed him softly. “And Turles… you’re not angry with me… are you?”

                “Gods, no,” Turles replied firmly, yanking her into his arms for a tight hug. “He made his choice fifty years ago, Rabbit. He had his chance and lost it, and there’s no one to blame but himself for it. It doesn’t mean that I don’t feel sorry for him, though. He told me to tell you to remember him.”

                “Tell him I said ‘always.’ Now… come on. I can sense a dropship coming in.”

                Vegeta didn’t even turn his head when she returned, and he tugged her to his side with his tail. “I want you to detransform and go change into something as innocent and unassuming as possible.”

                “Huh?”

                “I don’t want the little freak to feel like we’d be a challenge… he may run off if he feels like he could be defeated. Broly, Turles, keep your ki levels as low as possible.” Vegeta kissed her once before releasing her, his lips lingering and tasting her sweetness for a long moment. “Hurry up, he’ll be landing in only a minute.”

                Usagi ran inside, detransformed, and a small, evil smile bloomed on her face as she changed and plan began to formulate in her mind. “Hopefully he won’t kill me for it afterwards… that he’ll know I did it for his benefit…” She drew a deep breath and steeled herself for her mate’s undying hatred as she kicked off her shoes and returned to his side barefoot, wearing only a long skirt and a thin camisole that revealed the mark on her shoulder, her hair hanging unbound and blowing haphazardly in the breeze. _Only if he needs the push,_ she whispered to herself privately. “Unassuming enough?”

                “And good enough to eat,” Vegeta chuckled, skillfully concealing his true feelings even from her… or so he thought.

                His mate was about to give him a talk through the bond as she sensed his growing terror and she felt his tail tremble around her waist, but the dropship landed just then and it was a mere ten seconds before Arctic strode out of it purposefully.

                “Ah… there’s my misplaced little prince. And dressed to kill, I see. Mmm… not a bad choice on the spandex, dearest; it most definitely defines your better assets. Now… be a good little prince and get on the ship, and I just _might_ let you return to the pits instead of the cell,” Arctic ground out slowly.

                Vegeta tried to will himself to speak, but his mouth wouldn’t even so much as open for the subconscious fear of the lash. He finally bit down on his lower lip and shook his head twice to convey his refusal of such a ridiculous proposal.

                _Vegeta, he can’t hurt you,_ Usagi whispered in his mind. _Think of how strong you are, now. You’re not collared and you can go level four all day long. And even if you couldn’t… I would **never** let him touch you, my love._

“Well, I see you got some of that spine back, even it was only a little of it,” Arctic sighed dramatically, crossing his arms and tapping his nails on his elbow. “At least you learned to keep that pretty mouth of yours closed, though.” His attention turned to the blonde beside the prince and he smiled slowly. On anyone else it would have been warm and welcoming, but on him it was simply evil. “Well, well… judging by that mark, our pretty little prince has taken… a mate…? This beautiful woman wouldn’t happen to be the silver-haired bitch that broke you out, would it?” He frowned when the large blue eyes fixed on him only widened slightly in what he assumed was fear and awe. “Hm… maybe not. She was far more forward than this one. And the hair and the eyes are wrong. So,” he continued, “what’s your name, darling? My, you are _quite_ the vision of loveliness.”

                She turned her head to seemingly ask Vegeta for permission to speak, but she was really sending him a wave of comfort and strength through the bond. That seemed to snap him out of it a bit and he tightened his hold on her. “Usagi,” she answered Arctic as meekly as possible, feigning fear as she clung to her mate. She inwardly smirked when he stepped forward and Vegeta immediately placed himself between them, baring his teeth savagely and snarling a loud warning, his ki spiraling upwards steadily.

                “Now, now, Vegeta. I only want to _look_. After all, what’s yours is mine, right? Behave and I just might let you keep her as a pet and let you have her when you’re good. Hm… just think of all the strong little fighters you could breed with her if you do everything I tell you to?” Arctic beckoned her then and shot Vegeta a smug little smile when Usagi peeked out from behind him, confident that the prince wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him. “Come here, darling. You have my word that I won’t harm you.”

                Both Turles and Broly stiffened in reaction when Usagi stepped around her mate and approached the Ice-jin slowly; what in the hell was going through her head… and why in the **_fuck_** was Vegeta letting her do this!? **_Vegeta!_** Broly snapped out with his ki, _if you don’t fucking get your shit together, I swear on my tail to take care of his ass myself! SNAP OUT OF IT before he hurts your mate!_

That seemed to do the trick and Vegeta snagged her back with his tail… but it was too late, Arctic was already stretching out and swiftly yanked Usagi out of reach, giving the brown appendage a firm squeeze in order to make it recoil. “Geta!?” She yelped quickly, struggling with all the strength of her human form to make Arctic think he truly had her.

                “Let her go!” Vegeta barked out, ascending straight to level three without even powering up, though he was unable to blast his enemy to Hell without taking his mate out in the process. “LET HER GO NOW!”

                “Ah, it speaks!” Arctic laughed. “No… I don’t think I will, dear prince. I think I’ll hang onto her for just a little while. And don’t worry,” he added in Usagi’s ear, “I swore not to hurt you and I think I just might keep that promise… after all, we wouldn’t want to harm the newly marked Queen of the Saiyans. Huh… I guess that would make you the king now, wouldn’t it, Vegeta? Never mind,” he added with a wave of his free hand, “I think I’ll still regard you as my little prince.”

                Usagi began to struggle in earnest when his hand began to wander her, and she bit down on the arm around her chest when she felt him touch her between her legs. “HANDS OFF!” She shouted out.

                “Oh, my! No longer a quiet little thing, are you!?” Arctic grinned and locked eyes with her, chuckling at the sight of the fire in hers. “Tell me, sweetheart, are you this feisty with our prince in the bed? Or are you nice and submissive? I would think I’d broken him so much that he couldn’t even get it up, but I see by how tight that spandex is that someone’s even rebuilt his balls. So you must be getting some use out of him. Well, which is it?”

                “Oh, fuck you and the horse you rode in on!” Usagi snapped, her hand twitching out of habit for her transformation brooch. She didn’t need it though, and decided to fuck her plan in the ass and power up. “COSMIC STAR POWER, MAKE MMMMMMPH!” She bit down savagely on the hand that was covering her mouth, drawing blood, her mind a complete haze of rage and fear as she told Vegeta to just blast them both, the consequences be damned.

                “I’d suspected you were just playing with me, sweetheart,” Arctic giggled. “Now I know for sure. So… you **_are_** the little silver bitch that broke my princeling out? That changes so many things, you know.” Removing his hand from her mouth, he reached into his armor and pulled out a collar, noting that the sight of it had Vegeta’s eyes wide in terror. “Oh, no, silly prince. This isn’t for you! Now, hold still Usagi, or I’ll kill you instantly, understand?”

                She ground her teeth but did as she was told, knowing damned well that a ki-dampening collar would have little to no effect on her at all. _Vegeta, as soon as I can get free, do it._

 _I will,_ he whispered, trying not to shake in terror when so much was on the line.

                “Now!” Arctic said gleefully once the collar was snapped into place and activated, “you might think that this is a ki-dampening collar, don’t you, my dear?” When she rolled her eyes he sighed. “Well, it’s not. You see, my ship registered your power signature, and I had this developed especially for you.” When her eyes went wide in true fear—not the fear she’ been feigning most of the time—Arctic smiled slowly. “Ah, I see that you understand, don’t you? Don’t worry, my offer not to hurt you still stands, so long as you cooperate.”

                “Geta?” She squeaked out helplessly, tears filling her eyes and she reached for her powers and found them gone. In a last ditch effort she tried to teleport and trembled when nothing happened. “Geta… I… I can’t teleport! I… I can’t even shock him!”

                “Yes, my dear. I’m afraid you’re fully mortal now.”

                “Broly!? Turles!?”

                “Don’t bother, dear. With the way I’m holding you, they wouldn’t dare strike down their queen just to get a shot at myself.”

                “Do it!” Usagi shouted. “Do it now, guys!”

                Arctic sighed and nodded towards the two. “I suggest you both go elsewhere for now unless you want me to break her neck.”

                “Highness?” Turles whispered fearfully, wishing to the gods that he could reverse time and just defy Vegeta’s orders to stay put and stay quiet.

                “Do as he says,” Vegeta replied. “Go into the woods until I call you out.”

                “Good boy, Vegeta,” Arctic said menacingly, once it was just the three of them. “I sent them away because I don’t want your stupid pride getting in the way of what I’m about to offer you. Just like the offer I made you a hundred years ago, ensuring your son’s freedom, I offer you your mate’s life and well-being. I wasn’t joking about wanting to breed her, you know. I just might breed with her myself.”

                He laughed when Vegeta growled at him, forming a ki blast in his hand, his tail thrashing about in anger. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t rape her; there’s less chance of conception that way. I’ll fuck her nice and gently, make sure she enjoys it. And if she won’t submit, there’s always that little concoction I used to give you. It’ll make her so randy she wouldn’t even care whose cock was inside of her so long as she was being satisfied.” He felt Usagi trembling and frowned at the tears in her eyes. “Oh, don’t cry, sweetling. So long as your mate behaves himself and does whatever I tell him to, you’ll live a very comfortable life. You’ll be well-fed and fattened up and taken very good care of so you can grow lots of little Saiyan warriors for my army.”

                “I’d rather kill my own children than let you have them,” Usagi whispered.

                “Oh, I doubt you’d do that. Because if you do,” he purred as he tightened his grip around her neck, “I’ll make sure your dear prince knows nothing but agony. I’ll cut his balls off again, for starters, and impregnate you with his frozen sperm. You’ll never know the pleasure of your mate again.” His grip loosened then and his voice returned to a throaty purr. “But if you cooperate, I’ll even let the two of you share a bed every night… unless you’re in mine, of course.”

                _Vegeta… please do something… even if it means you have to kill me… do it now. Kill us both and go home to your son._

_No, Usa… I… I can’t do that to you, and he knows it… a Saiyan male can never harm his mate…_

_You’ll be harming me more by making me live like that… if you love me, Geta, do me this one kindness and kill me so that you can live free._

No. There had to be another way. Vegeta closed his eyes and let his beast fully take over, mentally sighing with relief as his fear was washed away by the purest form of rage he’d ever felt in his life. _Think of something, you little bastard,_ he directed at his inner Saiyan. _What good are you for if you can’t even help me save her?_

“Why, Vegeta… I love this new form of yours,” Arctic sighed, admiring the long black hair and the blue eyes that slowly cracked open. “I don’t even know which of you to take first when we return to the ship… hm… no, I’ve got it. You first… I have **_so_** missed that tight little hole of yours, dear prince.”

                _The moment you’re loose, teleport to Turles and Broly and **do not** fucking leave their sides, do you understand me, woman!? _ Vegeta’s beast snapped out at her through the bond.

                _Hai,_ she replied immediately, trying not to tense in anticipation and give him away to the little freak. _I love you, Vegeta. And… I’m sorry that my plan backfired._

 _We’ll discuss this later,_ he promised softly, his anger with her carelessness bleeding into his words.

                _Hai,_ she squeaked out for a second time. Usagi closed her eyes in wait and even if she’d had them open she wouldn’t have seen Vegeta move. He was so fast at level four that Arctic only saw the afterimage of his body and was still waiting for him to speak when he felt the blonde in his arms being thrown, her shattered collar lying on the ground at his feet.

                Turles caught Usagi the moment she appeared beside him and cradled her gently in his arms as she shook and sobbed uncontrollably in relief. “Whoa, whoa, Rabbit… it’s ok, sweetheart… Broly, give me the bottle,” he ordered, taking it from the longer-haired Saiyan to press it to her lips. “Drink, sweetheart. That’s it…” He nodded to Broly when he knelt with them and comfortingly stroked her hair while screaming and begging were heard from just beyond the treeline.

                “Drink a little more, beautiful,” Broly urged when she tried to pass the bottle back, determined to keep her distracted from what her mate was doing to Arctic. The breeze was coming from that direction and he could smell fear, blood, shit and piss with his sensitive nose, and his ears were picking up some of the things Vegeta was snarling out as he slowly snapped bones one at a time.

                But apparently Usagi had heard something or picked it up through the bond, and she was struggling weakly against the both of them as she turned her head in search for her mate. “What’s Geta doing!? I… I can… oh my dear gods…”

                “No!” Turles snapped out, yanking her forcefully into his lap. “Don’t you dare stop him, Usa. That little bastard deserves more pain than any of us could ever stomach inflicting, so don’t you **_dare_**!”

                “We all know what Arctic did to him,” Broly whispered. “You healed his injuries, Usagi… I know you know what our prince has gone through… he needs this more than you know. This isn’t just vengeance, this is Saiyan justice.”

                “We need you to stay right here, Rabbit, or you’ll risk setting him off again and he’ll likely take it out on Broly and me for letting you go. Just stay here until he’s done, alright? And then be there for him when it matters… when the numbness of what he’s done hits him full force.”

                With tears rolling down her cheeks as she felt her mate’s rage and anguish through the bond, his memories of rapes and whippings rolling through both of their minds like a slideshow, Usagi nodded and drank.


	17. Chapter 17

Usagi trembled when she heard footsteps coming through the trees and felt her mate’s rage continuing to pound through the bond, and when she heard a low growl coming from in front of her she hesitantly looked up to find him still at level four, glowering down at her. His arms were covered in blood to the elbows, his chest and legs splattered with it as well, and pieces of flesh stuck to him here and there, making him quite the terrifying sight.

                “Highness,” Turles began slowly, “your mate is clearly not feeling well. Perhaps we should—“

                “Get out now,” Vegeta’s beast snarled. “And keep away from my mate.”

                Turles wasn’t hearing it though, and immediately shook his head. “No, Highness. Not while you’re like this. Can’t you see that she’s terrified right now?”

                “If you are even suggesting that I would harm my mate…”

                The way Vegeta’s eyes began to glow red made Usagi shakily climb to her feet and she stepped towards him. “He wasn’t, _r’sha_ … Turles is merely worried about me in general. I’m alright, though… I trust that you’ll take good care of me.”

                “Usagi… you’ll be ok?” Broly asked. When she nodded, he sighed and prayed to the gods that Vegeta wouldn’t hurt her on accident in his rage. “We’ll head for the pods, then. Contact me or Turles if you need anything… and when and if you’ll be leaving.”

                “I will,” she replied softly, her hands still shaking as the prince stared down at her angrily. “I’m sorry,” she whispered once they were gone. “I… I didn’t mean for… I swear I thought my plan would work…”

                When her bottom lip began to tremble and the tears brimming in her eyes spilled over onto her cheeks, Vegeta’s beast growled softly in mixed annoyance and surrender to his mate as his chest began to rumble in a soft purr and he enfolded her in his bloody, fur-covered arms. After all, it had been his fault that he’d frozen up so badly in the first place, making her go through with her stupid plan to snap him out of it. “I could strangle you to within an inch of your life, woman,” he ground out through his teeth.

                “I know,” she sobbed into his chest, uncaring of the blood that was getting all over her in the process of holding him and being held. “I’m so sorry, Vegeta! I didn’t expect that to happen, and I was so terrified when I realized I wouldn’t be able to even teleport! That he could use me against you! I’d gone in thinking to give you an edge, to make you unafraid of him, and I only gave him even more ammunition for him to hurt you with!”

                His beast sighed at the anguish and fear rolling from his mate through the bond and scooped her up, crunching through the leaves under his feet as he carried her towards the hot spring. He simply ripped off both of their clothing with Saiyan speed before taking her into the water with him, and tipped her chin up to kiss her tenderly. Vegeta’s inner monster expected her to press against him and offer sex—which he wouldn’t have turned down with the scent of blood and battle hanging in the air around him—but when she only shook and clung to him in horror for what she’d done, he purred comfort to her and nuzzled the crown of her bloody hair. “I’m still angry as fuck with you, but I won’t hurt you, _r’sha_. Relax.” And he certainly wouldn’t start screaming at her while she was so scared; he’d stow it for now and unleash it all on her later.

                For now… “Give me some soap, woman.” A trembling hand reached into her subspace as she didn’t even unbury her face from his hair, and she handed over the requested item and a washrag. “Hold still,” he ordered gruffly as he sat her in his lap and brushed his mouth over hers, followed by a slow and thorough washing of them both, his hands moving over her carefully, stroking and attempting to ease her trembling. “Clean the water,” he finally ordered, and once it was no longer pink and floating with gore he washed them both again and rinsed. “Good,” he sighed, “I can’t smell his stink on you anymore.”

                Usagi no longer sat there passively now that they were clean and was clinging to him tightly again, drawing in the scent of snow and woodsmoke as she began to cry once more. “I’m sorry,” she whispered over and over, “I’m so sorry.”

                He let go of his ire as his beast began to relinquish control to him, his features melting back to those of his normal body. “It’s alright, my love,” he whispered with a soft bite to her shoulder. “I shouldn’t be mad… in the end, my terror put you in that position in the first place… and I swear that it’ll never happen again.”

#################################

                Usagi didn’t even look when Vegeta instructed her to close her eyes the moment they stepped out of the woods, and she did one better by waving her hand and leaving only untouched grass in place of the dropship and Arctic’s remains.

                “Gather up anything you want to take,” Vegeta grunted as he placed her on her feet inside of the house. When she looked at him questioningly, he nipped at her lower lip and purred once more. “I’m as whole as I’ll ever be, Usa. I may still be healing in some ways, but that will take years. And I… I want to see my son.”

                “Oh.” She nodded and embraced him then, hugging him tightly as she sighed in contentment and felt a wave of pride washing through her for her mate. “You want to go right now?”

                “In the morning,” he replied. “We’ll spend our last night here.”

                “Alright then… I’ll pack at first light. Packing only takes me about thirty seconds, anyway.” Usagi wasn’t surprised when he scooped her up then and carried her back to his nest, and she didn’t even ask about the bed since his strong, overpowering scent was flooding her nose and calming her better than anything else had so far.

                She was dozing an hour later, snuggled tightly in his arms when she felt something hard poking her stomach and noticed how his hands were gently exploring her body, his mouth ghosting over her mark. “Geta?”

                “I need you,” he whispered, hoping she could feel it through the bond, the all-encompassing, driving necessity for his beast to brand her as his own after so many had gotten their scents on her. Raditz kissing her… Arctic’s near-capture of her… Turles and Broly holding her down out in the woods… “Need you now,” he said a little louder, a growl coating his deep voice.

                “I’m yours,” she replied, moving her hips in silent permission, lying still as he rolled on top of her and pinned her arms above her head with one hand.

                “Good,” he purred, his chest rumbling in a pattern meant to seduce as he seated himself between her thighs and lowered his mouth to a soft, pink nipple. He suckled her until she was moaning and the bud between his lips was tight and hard, then turned his attention to the other, pushing himself inside of her as he made it match its twin. His grip tightened on her wrists as he felt her arms move, and Vegeta raised his head to growl at her in warning. “ _Mine_ ,” he snarled softly.

                Usagi whimpered and nodded at that; she’d known that he would regress sexually as a result of facing Arctic and she was grateful that she’d been prepared for it. Otherwise she would have been deeply worried. “Yours,” she moaned as he gave her a deep, rough thrust. “I’m completely yours,” she added with a whimper when he thrust into her once more, his purr hitching and his pupils dilating as his beast slipped the leash yet again, fully taking over.

                “Don’t you dare come,” he growled, stopping the moment she whimpered and arched, beginning to tighten around him. When she gave a soft cry of protest and raised her hips in a silent demand, he shook his head slightly. “You said you’re mine, woman. Prove it,” he ordered softly, nipping at her mark.

                Alright, two could play at this game, damn it. Giving him the big-eyed look she knew would always work with any man, she licked her lips and then pouted just slightly, just enough to look enticing but not ridiculous. “But why, Geta? You know I’m yours… don’t you want to feel my pleasure?” That last part was asked with a slight flexing around his cock, and she inwardly smirked when his purred hitched a bit and his eyelids fluttered momentarily. “Won’t the sound of me screaming your name prove that I belong to you a lot better? Knowing that you’re the only one that can make me come like that? Over and over again?” she whispered.

                Vegeta’s inner beast had thought to punish her in some small fashion for earlier, but hearing her whispering like that aloud and through the bond had him wanting to actually hear her screaming out her rapture every thirty seconds. “Damn it, you’re good at manipulating me,” he ground out with a hint of amusement. “Too bad that I’m going to disregard it,” he added with a sultry whisper in her ear. “Now don’t you dare come until I tell you to… and then maybe I’ll forgive you for earlier.”

                “And if I do?” She asked with a touch of fear.

                He frowned at that; he’d never harm her and both of them knew it. “Withhold your own pleasure until I say so… and I’ll reward you amply for it later, _r’sha_.” It was only when she nodded and he felt pure trust coming from her end of the bond that Vegeta began to thrust into her again, but he had to stop after several minutes when she begged him to. “So little self-control,” he chuckled in her ear. “Were you about to come, my mate?”

                A helpless little nod into his shoulder made him purr in approval. “Good girl. You didn’t let yourself come, even if you had to ask me to stop. Mmm… just think of how good it’ll feel after holding back for so long, Usa…” He resumed thrusting inside of her deep and hard then, and groaned when he felt her tighten slightly and she whimpered in frustration. She was just on the edge, he could feel it through the bond, and he stopped again just as she let out a choked noise that sounded like “stop.” “Very good, woman… very, very good. Now… I think you’ve suffered enough, but my beast seems to disagree. I think he wants to hear you beg for it.”

                The flicker of defiance in her eyes made him chuckle and he nipped at her mark gently. “What, woman? You don’t want to come?” Vegeta bent his ear to her mouth when she breathed something out, coupled by a rocking of her hips into his and an arching of her back. “I’m sorry, woman,” he crooned, “I didn’t quite catch that.”

                “Please,” she said a little louder, her voice coming out in a whine. “Please, Vegeta… please let me come.”

                His beast fully took over once more and nibbled his way up her throat, giving her one slow motion of his hips. “Tell me how you want it, _r’sha_ … I want to hear what you want me to do to you… and then I’ll give it to you. As much as you want, for as long as you want.”

                “Please, Geta, please move!” She begged softly, undulating her hips enticingly. “I want you to take me, any way you want, so long as I can come!”

                “Any way? You sure about that, woman?” An emphatic nod and a little bite to his shoulder made him purr loudly and bite her in return, then he flipped her onto her stomach and pressed her flat to the sheet. “As you wish, woman…”

                When he entered her once more, Usagi fully expected him to take her fast and hard, plowing into her with full Saiyan force, leaving her aching and raw by the time he was finished with her. But instead of a warrior’s brutality, she moaned and arched her hips backwards when he began to move inside of her lovingly, his purr so strong that he was vibrating even between her thighs. “Oh hot damn… Geta… that feels so good, love… please don’t stop…”

                “It’s going to feel even better, goddess,” Vegeta answered, taking over for his beast as it simply enjoyed the sounds of its mate’s pleasure. “I want you to come for me, as often as possible, and don’t you dare hold back for an instant. Understand me?”

                Already approaching oblivion, Usagi whimpered and nodded, clutching at the sheets above her head as she began to spiral up and tighten around him for the first of what would be many times that night. “I love you, Geta,” she whispered aloud and through the bond as he suddenly thrust hard into her g-spot and sent her careening over the edge, crying out loudly in her rapture as the pleasure only continued to intensify when he bit down on her shoulder again.

                “I love you too, Usagi,” he whispered in reply. “Forever.”

##################################

                She’d avoided breaking his quiet mood since she’d woken and packed everything she needed into her subspace, but the emotions rolling through the bond finally made her approach Vegeta cautiously. “Geta… honey… are you sure you’re ready for this?”

                “Yes… but… don’t be surprised if I have some trouble with speaking, Usa. Please don’t think it’s something that you or anyone else has done.” He did manage a tiny flicker of a smirk as he took in the way she was standing. “And just think of how bowlegged you’d be if I’d fucked you instead of made love to you.”

                “Yes, thank you, proud Saiyan warrior, for not beating the shit out of my vuh-jay-jay before we started to travel,” she drawled out in a dry, sarcastic tone. Usagi winked when he actually chuckled a little, then reached out to make sure his armor was strapped on securely. “Nothing else you want to take, honey?”

                “Just that fur blanket and my pillows,” he grunted. “I’m sure we’ll venture back here one day to find some solitude, so the rest can stay.” Vegeta kissed the moon on her forehead when she wrapped her arms around him, and managed to only flinch slightly when the golden crescent became a shining eight-pointed star. “I’m ready, _r’sha_. Let’s go find my boy.”

                Usagi delved only into the very surface of his memories and teleported them, and she wasn’t surprised to feel him buckle against her when they appeared right in front of a large building that she recognized as the home she’d seen in his mind. “Geta?” She breathed. “Are you going to be alright?”

                “Yeah,” he gasped shakily, tears stinging his eyes as he cast out around them with his senses and immediately found Trunks’s ki only a hundred yards away. _Boy,_ he said with a flicker of his ki, _I’m home._

                Usagi kept her arms around him tightly out of fear of him falling to his knees. She’d never let him meet his son like that, he’d already had too much damage done to his pride in the last century and she wouldn’t let him endure any more blows like that. “Vegeta,” she whispered in his ear as she sensed someone approaching. “He’s coming.”

                “I’ve got it,” he grunted out, separating from her and forcing his legs to keep him upright. Vegeta fought for composure as he locked his gaze with the pair of blue eyes he’d dreamt about right after being rescued, framed by a face identical to his own and shoulder-length lavender hair.

“Boy,” he whispered, his voice shaking almost as badly as his hands.

The lavender-haired man took one staggering step towards his father before collapsing onto his knees, his eyes huge with shock. “But you’re… you’re… she said you weren’t… that she could feel you… but I was sure…”

Vegeta knelt in front of his son, and for the first time since the boy had been eight, he hugged him tightly—so tightly that his ribs would have been cracking if Trunks had been human. “Trunks. My son.” The proud warrior cradled his son to his shoulder when the man he would always think of as a boy began to weep, his tan hands gripping the back of his father’s armor.

When Usagi saw tears leak out of Vegeta’s eyes as well, she stepped away and sat under a tree to give the pair some privacy; she knew that his pride had been torn to shreds upon that slave ship and he didn’t need her standing there and ripping those shreds into smaller pieces. Not when he was finally piecing them back together.

They held each other tightly for ten solid minutes, both of them choking back sobs as they wept silently on each other, and neither of them mentioned the tears as they separated and wiped them away quickly. “Your mother?” Vegeta said hoarsely.

“Forty years ago,” Trunks replied softly. “You didn’t feel her die?”

“I… I know that she’s… but the bond…” Vegeta shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose against the pain of his memories. “Didn’t want Bulma to feel it,” he finally whispered. “My pain.”

“Pain…?” He’d suspected that his father had been dead all this time, but this was worse. Much worse. What had happened that he would have closed the bond with his mother, effectively keeping Goku from being able to find him and stage a rescue?

“Another time,” Usagi said gently as she approached.

“No,” Vegeta grunted. “Now. And I’ll never speak of it again.”

When the prince opened and shut his mouth several times, his mate spoke for him. “Vegeta was held prisoner and tortured for the last hundred years on a slave and prison ship run by Arctic. I felt him and rescued him several weeks ago. I healed him and helped him recuperate. He still has a ways to go, though, Trunks. He’ll need your patience and understanding. He doesn’t talk much and some stuff still freaks him out. Sorry,” she added towards her mate, “but he needs to know all of it, Vegeta… if you prefer, I’ll fill him in on the rest later?”

He merely nodded, trying to keep his shoulders from slumping in shame. Gods, what would his son think of him, the man that had always been so hard and strong, now a broken shell of his former self?

“You’ll put it back together, Vegeta. And you _aren’t_ broken. Stop thinking those things,” Cosmos ordered.

“And you are…?” Trunks asked slowly.

“My mate, boy,” Vegeta snapped. “Show respect.”

Trunks smirked at that; now _that_ sounded more like his old man. “Yes, Father. I’m Trunks,” he said politely, extending his hand to shake with the silver-haired woman.

“Cosmos in this form,” she replied softly. She let go of her transformation and chuckled as she remembered she was only wearing nightclothes. “Usagi in this one. Sorry about the way I’m dressed, Vegeta sort of—“ A high energy signature appearing right next to her made her jump, but the moment she turned to survey the tall, black-haired man in the orange gi, Vegeta was snarling and powering up, throwing himself on top of the other man, his ki-wrapped fist poised to strike.

“Father, it’s alright!” Trunks said, tugging Usagi back.

“No, let me go,” the blonde snapped, shoving at him so she could grab Vegeta’s arm. “It’s ok,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him without so much as a hint of fear as the two others just stared at them. Very slowly she pulled him back, and when he was on his feet she let him wrap his visibly trembling arms around her tightly. “Calm down, Vegeta. I don’t think he was going to hurt me. He teleported in and happened to pop up in the wrong spot; you know how I do that all the time. Is he someone you know?”

“Kakarot,” he grunted, shivering as he fought to control the urge to slip back into the wildness that had consumed him for nearly a century. He wanted nothing more than to let his beast loose and pound the shit out of the younger Saiyan for appearing so close to his mate; close enough to be interpreted as some sort of challenge or threat.

Being full-blooded Saiyan, he knew exactly what the petite blonde woman was to the prince, and Goku sighed heavily. “Sorry, Vegeta. I wasn’t aiming when I IT’d. I sensed your ki and…” Goku blinked and slowly shook his head. “ ** _I searched for you_**. All over the known universe. On and off for fifty years. But… why couldn’t I find you? I couldn’t sense you anywhere and… we all _mourned_ you, Vegeta. We were sure you were dead. All but for Bulma; she said she could feel you on occasion, that you were hurting, that you needed us. But we couldn’t **_find you_** ,” he finished, his voice cracking on the last two words, his dark eyes filling with tears.

Vegeta released his mate and slowly approached the other Saiyan before extending his hand and clasping Goku at the elbow. He didn’t even protest when Goku pulled him into a tight embrace and hugged him for a full minute, the taller Saiyan crying silently.

He’d actually searched for him for fifty years? Damn it, Kakarot had been a better friend to him than he would have been. Vegeta would have given him up for dead long before that. “You watched over my family?” When Goku nodded, Vegeta gave him a quick return of the bear hug before releasing him. “Thank you for that, Kakarot. I’m in your debt,” he said wearily. “It was a… a ki-dampening collar,” he finally said after a long moment of silence. “It kept my power level below fifty.”

“No wonder,” Goku said softly. “I IT’d all over the universe, trying to sense your ki, even a flicker of it _anywhere._ But according to my senses, you didn’t even exist. At that level…”

“At that level I _wouldn’t_ exist to someone of our strength,” Vegeta finished for him.

“What happened?” Goku asked gently, his face clearly stating that he probably didn’t even want to know.

“I’ll fill you in later, after I’ve spoken with Usagi,” Trunks said quickly. “Father’s been through enough for one day.”

“Piccolo’s on his way. Gohan and Goten, too, and their children and grandchildren. They’re… they’re all that’s left of the fighters; none of the humans are left alive. I’m sorry, Vegeta.”

“You never mated, boy?” Vegeta asked incredulously of his son.

“I did,” Trunks responded softly. “She passed away ten years ago. Mom loved her. Her name was Minako. We had a son… he’s on his way, too, I can sense his ki.” Trunks swallowed and wiped at his eyes before the tears could fall. “We named him Vegeta.”

Usagi could sense Vegeta’s urge to cry again at his son’s words, but the prince only squeezed Trunks’s shoulder and nodded. “Does he look like me, then?”

“Right down to the fringe you told me about as a child. And he acts just like you, too. We call him ‘Geta.’ He’s quite the fighter, and he’s mated as well. To Goten’s daughter, Rissi. She’s um… well, I’m sure you’ll meet her. She’s pretty um… entertaining.”

“A hellcat, then?” Vegeta snorted.

“To say the least,” Trunks replied. “And she can keep up with Geta in a fight, too. They both hit level two together during one of their arguments as teenagers and nearly blew up South City.”

“Sounds like my kind of girl,” Usagi snickered. “And I guess I’ll have to specify whom I’m speaking with when I address your father as ‘Geta.’” Then she noted her clothing once more and looked to Vegeta. “I’m going to go change if that’s alright with you,” she said gently, hoping he could keep it together without her there.

“I’m fine,” Vegeta replied. “If nothing’s changed, go in the building and make a right and you’ll find a bathroom.”

“So…” Goku ventured, studying Usagi as she went inside, “she’s beautiful. How did you meet her?”

“She’s an all-powerful goddess of the stars. She sensed my pain and broke me out,” Vegeta said simply, not wanting to go into any more detail than that.

“Oh. Well. Seems fitting that the Prince of all Saiyans would wind up mated to her,” Goku chuckled, tipping him a wink. “Nice catch.”

“The best.”

Usagi came back out in a nice pink dress just in time for several people to drop out of the sky and land a few feet away from the main group, and she quickly made her way back to Vegeta’s side when she felt how overwhelmed he suddenly was by the presence of so many people.

Trunks seemed to sense it too, and took charge by waving over what could only be his own son. “Geta… this is your granddaddy. Vegeta.”

“ _That’s_ Vegeta!?” The black-haired woman behind Geta exclaimed. “ ** _No fucking way_**! Holy shit, Dad, you weren’t kidding! They look just alike!”

“And _this_ is Rissi,” Trunks said with a little groan.

“Hush, Riss,” Goten chastised his daughter, along with a poke of his elbow to her side. “Now’s not the time.”

“Gods…”

“ _R’sha_?” Vegeta asked, sensing his mate’s distress as she pushed past him and approached the loudmouthed young woman.

“She… she looks just like her… and…” Usagi’s head snapped up and she looked to Trunks. “Your mate! Minako! Was her name _Aino_ Minako!?”

“How… _how_ do you know that?” Trunks asked slowly.

“And this girl… Rissi. She looks just like…”

“Like her mother,” Goten said softly. “She died… two years ago.” With a hitch in his breath, he sighed as he let his daughter hug him, and tried his hardest not to cry.

“Her name was Rei,” Trunks supplied, “and she was a lot like her daughter.”

“Hino Rei… so they… they were reborn.” Usagi smiled and scrubbed at her cheeks with the heels of her hands. “They lived! They were reborn and they lived and got married and had kids and—“

“What is she fucking talking about!?” Rissi snapped, confused and angry that someone could be so happy over the news of her mother’s death.

“Gods, you’re so much like her!” Usagi exclaimed, hugging Rissi tightly. “Don’t you get it!? They all _died_! But they came back and were reborn in this universe! They got to be _normal_! Oh gods, I wonder if the rest of them did, too! Do you know the names Kino Makoto or Mizuno Ami?”

Usagi approached the other two men—one of them green—when they both blinked and gaped at her. “Well?”

“Ami was my mom,” a young woman beside the dark-haired man Usagi was facing piped up. “She passed a few months ago. My name is Pan… how did you know my mom?”

“She… she was a very dear friend of mine,” Usagi said gently, giving the girl a hug. “Over a thousand years ago. I… I’ll tell you all the story at some point. And I’m not happy that they’re _dead_ , honey, let me get that straight. They all died very young when we all knew each other; they had no chance at a life. I’m happy that they finally _got_ that chance. And they had it _together_ , it seemed.”

“Koto’s still alive,” the green man said softly. “She’s my… ugh. It’s… complicated. But she hasn’t aged over twenty-five due to a Namekian bonding ritual. She’s cooking lunch right now at home.”

Usagi looked back at Vegeta with tears in her eyes, silently asking him what she couldn’t say out loud. Would he be alright? She could wait… she’d waited centuries for this moment, even though it would be bittersweet. “I’m home,” she whispered.

Vegeta tipped his head once in the barest of nods. “I’ll go with you, _r’sha_.”


	18. Chapter 18

“I’ll take you there,” Piccolo offered.

“No need,” Usagi whispered, already homing in on Makoto’s life force. She shifted to Cosmos without a thought as she grabbed both men, and was standing in a well-kept, sweet-smelling kitchen within moments.

“Piccolo, did Goku IT you—“ The chestnut haired woman turned and stopped dead the moment she laid eyes on Sailor Cosmos, and the plate full of food she was holding crashed to the floor.

“Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her drop food before,” Piccolo rumbled.

Usagi shifted to her mortal form and caught the princess of Jupiter before she could fall to the floor, hugging her tightly as they both burst into tears. “Mako-chan!”

“Usa…” she breathed in response, still filtering through a flood of memories that had rushed through her upon seeing the Queen of the Stars. “Usa, how are—how did you—“

“I didn’t, Mako-chan,” Usagi whispered. “I… I’ve been wandering the universe and multiple dimensions for centuries… something like eighteen hundred years. I think. I don’t really keep count anymore. Our Earth was destroyed after I…” Usagi cried harder at the memory and buried her face in the taller woman’s shoulder. “After I killed you all. Then… I sealed Chaos and… just existed.”

“But… our starseeds…”

“I don’t know,” she sobbed, “I don’t know… but I’m so happy that you were all brought back… you all deserved it so much… Mako-chan… please… please **_forgive_** me… I _tried_! I really tried!”

Makoto pulled away at that and used her apron to wipe her queen’s face. “Usagi-chan… it couldn’t be helped. I know you tried, and if the other girls were here, they’d say it too. We told you to kill us, and it was the only way. I know that, and you know that. Kami… how we went all this time,” she whispered in wonder. “We gravitated towards each other without even knowing it, but we still didn’t remember… even when…”

“When what?” Usagi asked softly.

“Rei-chan. She did this fire reading—no surprise, she was a priestess in this life, go figure—and… it was so weird. She told us that something was missing, that she’d felt it for years. And it was so funny, we’d felt it, too.” Mako smiled sadly and hugged Usagi again. “It was you, Usa. _You_ were what was missing all this time.”

“Mako… the others? The Outers?”

“Yup, reborn, too. Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru were a few grades above us at Orange Star High School, and Hotaru ten below. Mamoru, though, he—“

“Mamo-chan!?” Usagi asked tearfully, followed by a wave of guilt over the fact that she was mated to Vegeta. “He… I…”

“It’s alright, Usa.” Mako grinned and shook her head. “Kami, all these memories… and now so much makes sense that it’s scary. Mamoru and Setsuna got married soon after college, and they had Sere… er… Serenity. Chibi-Usa to you. Yes, she was reborn, too.”

“My baby…” Usagi took the offered dishtowel from someone behind her and wiped at the tears that just wouldn’t stop coming.

“Sere and Hotaru were only a few years apart and grew up together. And they wound up getting married to each other, too. No,” she added gently, when Usagi looked up at her hopefully. “They… it was hard on us all… they were killed in a car accident when they were in their forties. Mamo and Sets… they were devastated. They both passed less than a year later. It… it was a very hard year for us all.”

“So they’re all dead,” Usagi whispered sadly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Mako sighed. “All but me, and it’s only because the green bean here conned me into that damned blood thing.”

“You went through the blood ritual with a human woman?” Vegeta piped up, staring at Piccolo in shock.

“Shut up,” he huffed.

Mako stood at that and kissed Piccolo full on the lips before giving him a playful shove. “You shut up. Yes,” she confirmed, turning to Vegeta. “Piccolo and I did that partial fusing thing decades ago. I was his student for years, and we… well, green bean gets all purple in the face and embarrassed as hell about it, but basically, we’re mated. Without the mating. I’m not going into detail on that one.”

“The hell you aren’t,” Usagi snorted, still wiping at her tears. “Whatever happened to full disclosure about the bedroom?”

“Fuckin’ seriously, Usa? After two thousand years? You’re really going to hold me to that?”

“I told you about Mamo-chan and the car. Getting caught parking by the cops.”

“You’re gonna be ‘that guy’ about this, aren’t you? Even after I told you about Toki and the kitchen at the arcade. I thought that made us even for the cop story.”

“Mamo got arrested!”

“I nearly lost all my hair to a grease fire!”

“Ladies,” Piccolo rumbled. “Seriously?”

“Oh, don’t get jealous, green bean. It was two thousand years ago. And if you recall, I’m still a virgin,” Mako added with a saucy wink, laughing at the sight of her mate’s purple face. “So,” she added, pulling Usagi up as she stood, “who’s this? He looks an awful lot like Trunks’s boy.”

“This is Vegeta. My mate,” Usagi said, not missing Mako’s look of shock.

“ _That_ Vegeta!? The one that blew himself up!? The one that pretty much killed Cooler!? The guy that was responsible for Gohan getting the chance to take out Cell!? _Trunks’s father_!? But Goku—Piccolo—they searched…”

“You too, Namek?” Vegeta rumbled in surprise.

“For two decades, after Goku gave up. I told him you were too fucking stubborn to die.”

“He’d go off a month at a time, once Goku taught him how to IT, and he finally gave up…” Mako sighed and looked away in shame. “Kami… it’s all my fault, too. I convinced him to give up and stay home.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Vegeta grunted. “Usagi found me.”

“I’ll tell the story later,” she offered. “Vegeta’s been through enough of that for one day.”

“Sure,” Mako said. “Come on, I want to show you something anyway. Piccolo, would you clean up my mess, please? Sorry. And make some tea, perhaps?”

“You owe me, Koto,” he chuckled as he picked up a broom and swept up the pieces of plate and the ruined food.

“The soapy game and the lake?” She giggled, pecking him on the mouth. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she said when he blushed and nodded.

“Vegeta… will you—“

“I’ll be fine, Usa. I’ll have the Namek take me back to my boy. Come find me when you’re done here and we’ll get settled in,” Vegeta said, shivering at such a long statement.

“It’ll be ok,” Usagi whispered in his ear and she pulled him close. “If you need me, I’ll be right here,” she reminded him with a kiss to his forehead.

Vegeta dipped his lips to hers and sighed, feeling better and safer from the contact as he kissed her deeply. “Go on,” he finally urged. “Your homecoming, too.”

“I’m beginning to realize that,” she whispered in wonder.

Mako led Usagi into the living room and sat her down on the couch before pulling out a mass of albums from a nearby bookshelf and sitting them all in front of her. “Mina took most of the pictures as we got older, so she’s not in all of them. But I never threw anything out, and whenever one of them passed, a mate or a child would give me all their photos to add to the collection. It got really huge after Rei-chan died.” Mako sighed at that and shook her head. “Goten… poor thing. If it weren’t for Riss, I think he’d kill himself. He took it hard… harder than any of the guys did. He and Rei… they loved each other so much that it was a little scary.”

“Rei was always intense with everything she did,” Usagi said with a sad smile, opening an album full of pictures of her friends as children. All of the photos were faded and old, but still more than clear enough to make out. “Did she scream at him a lot?”

“Kami, yes! In high school, anyway, right before they started dating. She was sixteen when they felt the pull, and Goten made her batshit crazy for months until she finally gave in and agreed to date him. Just to shut him up. But things calmed down after they mated, and they were so deeply in love with each other that it was crazy to see Rei like that with a guy. Happy, you know?”

“I’m so glad she was happy,” Usagi whispered, opening another album full of high school photos that gave way to wedding pictures. “What about you, Mako?”

“Ah… I knew you wouldn’t wait before bringing that up. Simply put, Piccolo is Namekian. And they’re asexual… he doesn’t have anything downstairs. But we love each other anyway.”

“But then… _how_!?” Usagi asked incredulously.

“He takes care of my needs when I’m in the mood, and I… well, I give a lot of back massages. We’ve tried different stuff to get him off, but we gave up on that after a few years. We’re content.”

Usagi thought about that and shook her head slowly. “Wow. If you’re content, that’s awesome… but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t at least offer, Mako-chan… you know the silver crystal can do a lot of things.”

Mako licked her lips slowly and stared ahead blankly. “I’d fuck his brains out. But no… no no no. I’d need to ask him first, Usa, he may not be interested in that sort of thing.”

“Of course. Just discuss it with him and let me know.”

“Now…” Mako snagged an album from Usa’s hand and set it down. “Later. Some of these… they still make me cry looking at them. But I want to know about where Vegeta’s been all these years. I never met him of course—he disappeared when Trunks was only a teenager—but he’s like… a fucking _legend_.”

“He’s quite the warrior,” Usagi agreed, “so it’s understandable that everyone already knows all about him.”

“Except for you,” Jupiter said knowingly.

“Or him.” Usagi nodded and licked her lips when Mako made a face. “He’s still piecing it all together… I’ll start at the beginning.”

Throughout the whole tale, Makoto remained silent, pale throughout the entire beginning and the descriptions of Vegeta’s condition. But as the story progressed she found herself smiling on occasion and even giggling, especially during the part when Vegeta had first pinned Usagi to the wall.

“He’s still funny about talking and physical contact,” Usagi finished, “but he’s getting better… and a lot faster than any normal person would after so long in captivity. I originally expected him to remain wild as hell for at least a few months, but… he’s very resilient. He’s so strong,” she whispered in wonder. She felt a wave of nerves through the bond and sighed. “Mako-chan, I have to go. Vegeta’s really starting to climb the walls without me there.”

“Well, you’ve been gone two hours, sugar. No wonder. I’m amazed he lasted this long. Here,” Mako offered, smoothing out her skirt and removing her apron. “Take me with you and I’ll ask Piccolo about—“

“Awfully eager to get your freak on, huh, Mako?” Usagi snickered.

“You haven’t seen that man in the nude or had him kissing the shit out of you, pinning you down, so you simply don’t understand,” she replied seriously. “I’ve dreamed of making love to that man for a very long time,” she sighed.

“Well, come on then,” Usagi giggled, grabbing Mako’s arm just before she teleported back to the lawn of Capsule Corp. She immediately rushed over to Vegeta, who was visibly trembling slightly, sitting next to Goku. The taller Saiyan was speaking to him softly, and gave her a look of naked gratitude when she knelt in front of the prince and kissed him gently. “Geta?” She whispered.

“I’m alright,” he growled. “Just… too many people at once.”

“A lot of people were asking him lots of questions,” Goku explained. “Sorry about that, I should have nipped it in the bud when they started in on him.”

“It’s alright, Kakarot,” Vegeta said dismissively, relaxing into Usagi’s embrace and drawing in her scent. “Thank you for keeping me company until she got here.”

Mako rushed up then and grinned down at all three of them, practically jumping in place. “Usa!? Please make with the crystal magic! And fast!”

Usagi grinned and nodded into Vegeta’s chest, shifted to Cosmos, and a loud yell was heard from across the lawn. “Aaaaaand… he has a dick.”

“Huh?” Vegeta and Goku asked at once.

“Go fuck his brains out, Mako,” Usagi giggled as she turned her head to see Piccolo standing next to a tree a dozen yards away, holding his pants out a little as he gazed down, every inch of visible skin bright purple and only getting darker.

                “You gave Piccolo a…” Goku shook his head, grinning slowly, and he suddenly erupted into hysterical laughter, falling back onto the grass and rolling around on it like a little kid.

                “Now I’ve seen everything,” Vegeta snickered. “A Namekian with a cock. **_Hey, Namek_**!” He shouted. “Are you going to keep staring at it or put it to good use!? Your woman’s over here and I can already smell how wet she is for that massive cucumber!”

                “SHUT UP!” Piccolo barked out, baring his teeth at the prince. “You **_can not_**!”

                “Actually,” Goku chimed in, “I can smell it too, Piccolo! She’s pretty aroused!”

                Mako just blushed and shrugged and waited patiently for Piccolo to get over his shock before he strode over to her and pecked her on the mouth, daring the Saiyans with a silent glare to comment on it. “I’d really like to get out of here, Piccolo,” Mako whispered.

                “Damn, Koto. You _are_ in a hurry.”

                “What do you expect?” Vegeta snorted. “She’s been waiting seventy-five years for a piece of you, Namek. Now go claim your mate and stop acting like a nervous teenage brat!”

                “Shut up, Vegeta,” Piccolo rumbled, teleporting out just as he kissed the princess of Jupiter passionately.

                “Well,” Usagi coughed. “I don’t think we’ll see them again for a few days. And Geta, I know it’s still kind of early, but if you wanted to get settled in…?”

                “Yes, definitely,” he grunted, having had his fill of so many people around him at once.

                “Grandfather?” Vegeta’s lookalike asked respectfully as he slowly approached, mindful of the way the crown prince’s ki was wavering in uncertainty and nervousness.

                “Yeah, boy,” Vegeta asked wearily. He already had taken a liking to his grandson; he was a lot like himself if Vegeta had been allowed to grow up with a normal childhood, but the boy still retained that quiet thoughtfulness that Vegeta had always possessed.

                “I was wondering if you were hungry? Rissi and Pan went inside to prepare enough food for everyone and well…” He shrugged in conclusion.

                Sensing that her mate was trying to think of a polite way to refuse the hopefulness in his grandson’s eyes, Usagi smiled up at him and chimed in. “You know, wild man? I definitely could eat something right now. All of the teleporting and the creation of a Namekian penis has drained me a bit.”

                Trunks, Geta and Goku all gave her grateful smiles when Vegeta immediately nodded, obviously concerned for her well-being. He agreed to stick around until Usagi’s appetite was satisfied, but when the food was brought out and laid on a blanket picnic-style, he froze, completely unable to even touch it. It wasn’t safe; it hadn’t come from Usagi’s hand or his own and… thoughts of poison and aphrodisiacs went through his mind and he trembled at the thought of eating any of the delectable tidbits before him.

                “Here,” Usagi offered, taking a bite of a sushi roll before offering it to him. “Geta… _r’sha_ … it’s ok. I took a bite of it and the food is clean, I swear it. Here, honey. Drink a little sake; it’ll help relax you.” She took a sip from his cup first and held it to his lips, and there was a collective sigh of relief around the table when he grasped the bottom of it and upended it into his mouth, then ate the remainder of the sushi she still had in her hand.

                Rissi looked ready to comment on Vegeta’s rudeness in assuming that the food that they’d prepared was tainted in some fashion, but Goku, Goten and Trunks all elbowed her simultaneously just as the younger Geta seemed to be speaking with her through their mating bond and she calmed down after a few moments.

                From then on, Usagi discreetly nibbled on bits of food before setting them before her mate, and the prince ate without complaint until she finally declared herself stuffed and thanked Pan and Rissi for such a wonderful meal before stating that she was exhausted.

                Trunks led them into Capsule Corp, and Vegeta blinked at the sight of everything. Almost nothing had changed at all, and he wandered ahead of his son, up the stairs, and stared blankly at the room he’d called his own for the two decades before he’d been captured. It even still smelled very faintly of himself… and a lot stronger of Bulma’s light, floral scent. “I don’t think I can sleep in here,” he admitted softly to both Trunks and Usagi.

                The lavender-haired demi nodded down the hall a little ways. “I thought as much and took the liberty of moving all of your things into the old room you said you used when you first moved in here. Is… that ok, Dad?” He asked softly.

                “That’s fine, boy. And …thank you,” he added after a few moments. “I don’t know if I could breathe in her scent and Usagi’s at the same time. It… it would seem strange.” They walked silently to Vegeta’s old quarters and he eyed the closet after a few moments. “You said my things are in here?”

                “Mom never threw anything out. Not even that ugly-ass pink Badman shirt you hated so much,” Trunks snickered. “She kept it all in capsules, still on the hangers and closet poles. All I had to do was hang them up, which I did a couple hours ago.”

                Tears pricked the corners of Vegeta’s eyes as he slid open the closet door and surveyed the contents. Training clothes, jeans, shorts, muscle shirts… even his boots and gloves and a few pairs of tennis shoes. They’d all been perfectly preserved, as if he’d never even left. “Your mother was a good woman, Trunks. And I know I never said it…” Vegeta’s voice cracked at that, and Usagi bit down on her lower lip as she squeezed his shoulder and sent him a wave of comfort through the bond. “…but I want you to know how much I loved her. And how I love you.”

                “I know, Dad,” Trunks whispered, stepped over to hug his father tightly. “Mom told me. She said that the last time she spoke with you, you’d said to tell me.” When they separated, Trunks sighed and shook his head. “Please, Father… would you please tell me what happened?”

                Vegeta nodded wearily. “Usagi… if you would give us a minute?”

                “Yeah. Call me when you’re done. I’ll go downstairs and help the girls clean up the kitchen.”

                Trunks came downstairs over and hour later and simply hugged Usagi from behind, holding her so tightly that she would have worried a bit if not for her empathy. “Is he alright?” She asked softly, setting the last dish to the side to dry.

                “No, he’s not. It… it took a lot out of him, telling the whole story. I wish to Kami that I’d never asked him,” he admitted shakily.

                The Queen of the Stars turned in his arms and used her healing light to calm him a little before pulling back. “I’m sure it goes without saying but… don’t you dare ever forget the sacrifice your father made for your safety. I’ve been in his thoughts, and while he’s never really told me… I know why he went without a fight.”

                The tears in Trunks’s eyes started to spill over for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and he nodded. “I’ll never forget it, and I’ll be eternally grateful for what he’s done. Death… it would have been kinder than what he’s endured.”

                “Yes, it would have,” Usagi agreed flatly. “I’ll go to him now and use my light to make him sleep without dreaming.”

                “Thank you, Usagi. And… thank you for all you’ve done for Father. He told me how wonderful you’ve been to him.”

                She blushed a little at that and nodded. “He’s been pretty wonderful to me as well, Trunks. Your father is a very good mate to me.”

                Usagi found him curled up on the floor in front of the lit fireplace, stripped of his armor but still wearing the blue spandex that went beneath it. “Geta?” She asked softly, kneeling at his side. When he didn’t reply, she simply laid down face him and pulled him to her, running her fingers through his hair as she murmured words of comfort in a dead language. “Come on,” she eventually urged, “let’s go to bed, sweetheart.” When he shook his head a little, she reached into her subspace and made them a bed right there in front of the fireplace, just like the one they’d had at the cabin, and she felt him relax into her when he climbed in and she covered them up with the fur. “Is that better?”

                Vegeta nodded into her chest when she tugged him tightly to her and he drew in her scent, snuggling into her like a small, scared child.

########################################

                “Better?” Usagi whispered.

                Vegeta shivered as she kissed his mark and nodded as he cracked his eyes open to see the dark circles under hers. “Woman? The hell?”

                “I made sure you didn’t dream,” she replied, “but you kept… well, it’s not important. I stayed up and held you, I didn’t want you to get scared,” she finished.

                “Go to sleep, woman,” Vegeta ordered firmly, running his fingers through her hair.

                “Hang on,” she yawned, sitting up. She removed all of her clothes then and sighed in satisfaction as she laid back down, enjoying the feel of fur against her bare skin. “Snuggle with me a little bit?” She asked with a hint of shyness, not sure if he would be ok with that. She smirked though when Vegeta began to slide off his spandex, and giggled when he cocked a questioning eyebrow. “I thought I was going to get to peel it all off with my teeth?”

                “Heh… tonight, woman. For now, you sleep. I’ll bring you something to eat in a few hours. And yes,” he added after a moment in her thoughts, “I’m fine. Going over everything I remembered with Trunks… it took a lot out of me. But I think I’m going to be just fine from now on.”

                Smiling up at him gently, she kissed him as he began to purr softly and he pulled her flush against his bare body. “Mmm… Geta?”

                “Hm?”

                “I’m not very interested in sleeping right now,” Usagi confided sexily, licking her lips at the sight of his partial arousal.

                “When you wake up,” he growled affectionately. “Then you can have as much beastly Saiyan cock as your little heart desires.”

                “Heart? I don’t want it there, silly,” she teased. “I want it in my pussy.”

                “Well, there too. Now go the fuck to sleep, woman,” Vegeta chuckled.

                “Yes, dear.”


End file.
